Confidence
by spopococ
Summary: Reno knows what he wants, and intends to get it. The only problem is that the one thing he's after is on to him, and is showing no sign of surrender anytime soon. Reno x Tseng Yaoi. Reno First Person. PART ONE OF TWO COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you for over 2,500 profile views! xD This is a gift fic for everyone who's ever looked at my profile. lol.

One shot! Le Woot! I have sooo many one shots that I thought I'd post one. P

This one I've been hiding for too long, I think. I likey. lol. Tseng x Reno from Reno's POV.

Enjoy.

**Warnings: **WELL! Rather graphic **male x male smex**. I'd call it **yaoi** really. lol. Other than that, I also inform you that the **pair of them swear** a bit in this. Why? they're Turks. **They're bad ass**. I love them. **I have a filthy mouth** at times. -Le sob-

--

His whole demanour screamed 'I'm nothing but sexy under all this', and the bastard didn't even know it, I'm sure... It only added to the appeal however, and only increased my frustration. It _wasn't_ that I was a nobody at the back of the crowd, you know, someone that he's got no idea even exists. I'd made sure that he did know me, and my last escapade that had me wound up in his office had surely increased his awareness of me. No, it was none of that. It was the mere fact that he passed me off so lightly that drove me insane. Usually all I'd have to do was swing my hips, saunter a little and throw a teasing little smirk in any object's direction and they were putty in my hands regardless of gender. That was, until he came along... I'd been determined to at least catch his attention though, so I'd scoped out what he paid most attention to, and hit him there. Uniform. Every damned day, he'd walk up and down the line of Turks as we fluffed our feathers and looked as presentable as possible. The hawk that he was, however, noticed even the slightest break of policy, and pulled offenders up for it. So, I played his game, and I wore bright blue socks... Not my favourite colour in the slightest, (it clashed horribly with my hair) but it got his attention, and it got _me_ a visit to his office.

"Reno, isn't it?" he'd sighed, gesturing for me to sit across from him at his hardwood desk.

"Mhmm..." I'd smirked in return, sitting in the lush chair and stretching languidly. I eyed him off flirtatiously from beneath thick eyelashes, but he didn't budge an inch...

"Cut the smug attitude, red. You have a reputation already here as a troublemarke. I've been a turk for close to six years, and allow me to crumble your little world a moment to tell you that your kind doesn't leave a lasting impression..." He said flatly.

"Huh?"

Nobody had ever spoken to me like that before...

"The fact that you try and make a name for yourself isn't the issue. The way that you do it is. I'm not going to have some arrogant rookie Turk of mine bringing my ass down with their antics..." He stated, and I snorted a little.

"Lucky I'm not your Turk then, hey? I'm my own person ya know?" I'd grinned, sliding a cigarette from my breast pocket and placing it between my lips. I did it slowly, you see, all for effect... as I lit the stick and took a long drag, breathing out slowly. He plucked it then, straight from my mouth, and ground it onto his desk, smiling slightly.

"You obviously don't know it yet, but I do own you. I tell you to jump, you ask me how high. I tell you to run, and you do it until I tell you to stop. I tell you to freefall from a plane with no parachute, you do it, and you sure as hell don't ask questions. I've worked here long enough to know what I'm doing, and the only Turks I've lost have been the arrogant little fucks who thought that the world owed them something. The world doesn't owe you shit, you owe _me_..." he smirked smugly, "... ya know?"

I fumbled for a witty remark, some kind of flirtatious reply, but I simply nodded dumbly and muttered a small 'yes sir' before his smirk widened.

"I've got my eye on you rookie..." He said, before gesturing for me to leave. I did so like some god damned puppy with its tail between its legs.

He hadn't been reeled in by my confidence, swayed by my charm or lulled by my suggestive tone. He'd seen right through the bullshit and passed me off. It wasn't the last time either. Yesterday, on my way to the locker room, I'd stopped by the board room, where he was preparing for a meeting and casually leant against the door frame.

"Hey boss man..." I smirked, as he didn't even glance up from his paper work.

"I'm busy Reno..." He'd muttered, and I'd shrugged.

"Just seeing how you are, ya know? Thought you might like a bit of good company or a friendly face, ya know? You're lookin tense..."

"If I needed either Reno, I assure you I'd set my standards a little higher than yourself. Did you need anything else?"

"Uh...no, not really yo..."

"Then _leave_..." He smirked up at me, eyes barely meeting my own.

"Yes sir..."

I should have hated him, but it only made my determination increase. I had never played the game of hard to get before, and I figured it was worth a try. This morning, I threw everything I had at him. He'd walked into the training room, and I'd made sure I'd been there earlier than even he could arrive. I'd already worked up a decent sweat, and had chosen to train shirtless with a nice set of snug pants... I was looking good, I was feeling good, and it was showing through every pore I had. He'd walked in and caught sight of me bench pressing.

"You're here early, rookie..." he remarked.

"Determination, boss man..." I smirked, standing up and running a towel over my sweat soaked skin. He leant in closer to me, and my brain automatically gave me the thumbs up. Fuck yes, action time!

"You smell like roadkill..." he frowned, raising an eyebrow, "Go take a shower before I throw up..."

He smirked, as I slunk once again from his company.

Now, as I watched him move slowly down the line of sharply dressed turks, he remained a sight to see. Dark eyes peered out from long lashes as ebony hair swung forward slightly and framed his face, traces of a smile licking at sensual lips... God damn it, he's gorgeous... He moved on to me now, and stopped, smirking slightly.

"Reno."

"Yes sir."

"Stand up straight."

"Yes sir..."

He looked me over, his eyes raking over each detail of my uniform from the feet up, before his eyes finally rested on mine.

"What do you call this, rookie?"

"Excuse me sir?"

His eyes locked onto my chest, like I knew they would, and his eyebrow raised.

"Not bothering with a tie?"

"I find them a bit of a bitch to wear, sir..." I shrugged, and a couple of the other guys laughed.

His face remained neutral, but his eyes glittered with something similar to amusement.

"A bit of a bitch, you say?"

"Yeah, a bit of a bit-"

I didn't get to finish, his leg sweeping under mine in a fluid motion and knocking me to the floor. His knee then collided with my back and pinned me, as he yanked my hair, lowering his face to mine.

"You're pushing your luck, rookie... Mind your manners or I'll have you chained and whipped for ignorance..."

"Mmm, don't tempt me..." I smirked, my cheek ground further into the asphalt.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on enjoying it. There's only so much pain you can take before it becomes pleasure. But there's only so much pained pleasure you can take before the pleasure just slips away, red..." he smirked, a dangerous glint flicking through his eyes as he climbed off me.

"Be in my office by noon, rookie. I've had enough of your attitude..." He announced, before sending a debilitating show wave through me with his EMR.

By the time I'd dragged my sorry ass to my feet, he'd disappeared into the main building and left my comrades to mock me at will. I'd love to hate him, but the bastard made it damn near impossible...

--

His receptionist, a blonde girl, smiled widely at me as I waltzed down the hallway.

"Reno?"

"Yeah babe. How's it?" I grinned, and she blushed, offering me a standard issue giggle.

"I'm ok... I'm good actually... and how are you then?"

"Sweet. I'm here to see the Fuhrer."

"Oh Reno..." She sighed, "He's really not such a bad person. He's quite wonderful if you get to know him well enough."

"He seems a little like he's got one of those EMRs up his ass, I tell ya."

"Well he speaks rather highly of you. Not openly of course, but he does think you'll make it places. You should respect him at least for that..."

The way her face was at that moment, I might as well have made the statement about her personally.

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you or any shit like that, yo..." I shrugged casually, and she shook her head slightly.

"No, no... it's just that I _know_ he can be a little... tightly wound... but he's really full of surprises actually..." She smiled, "He's really very caring, and extremely passionate about his work. He says that he can see a younger version of himself in you."

"No shit. Did he really say that?" I asked, perhaps a little too eagerly, and she nodded.

"Yes. He also referred to you a-"

"Reno..." Tseng interrupted, as his door opened quite suddenly.

"Oh! Commander! I'm so sorry sir, I meant to tell you that he was here but we got talking an-" the blonde bubbled.

"It's alright Elena... "Tseng smiled softly and openly, and I inwardly groaned. He was just... so...Fucking _gorgeous..._ The bastard sent those little tendrils of pleasure right through me just with his _eyes_. Like the asshole was doing now.

"Besides..." The commander smirked, "Reno here could be heard from a mile away..."

I scowled as indignantly as I could, but it was hard to focus as my eyes tore themselves from his gaze and took in the overall appearance for the first time. I'd never seen Tseng without his Turk issue jacket so far, but it had been discarded sometime between the parade grounds and our encounter now, and his shirt was clinging quite nicely to a frame of lean and sculpted muscle. Oh yes, he was a Turk... and if the situation wasn't so annoying, I may very well have jumped him by now. I hated self-restraint. I so very rarely needed it, as most of the situations I found myself in involved a shit load of alcohol and no inhibitions. Tseng however, was the only bastard who could affect me like this in the most dull and boring situations. I mean, for fuck's sake, we were standing in a hallway talking to his secretary, and I was already getting a little hot under the collar.

"You must not be feeling well, rookie..." he mused, as I zoned back into this God forsaken reality.

"Huh?"

"There was no witty remark, and you're looking a little flushed..."

I rolled my eyes as only I knew how, and shifted my weight on my feet.

"I didn't think your pissy little attempt at dragging me down a peg was worth it, yo..." I shrugged, and there it was again... That dangerous glint of amusement in his eyes. It was like that of a cat sitting beside a fishbowl and gently pawing at the water. All calm on the surface, but inside the bastard's thinking 'I'm gonna eat this fucker alive'.

"Elena, have you been on your lunch break?" He asked softly.

"Yes sir. I spent fourty minutes on-"

"Take another."

Oh shit. I knew what _that _meant. Last time Richards had mouthed off, Tseng had sent Elena on a second lunch break. Needless to say, Richards had returned a model Turk, complete with a few black and blue accesories to explain the sudden change of heart. Richards had refused to speak a word about it, merely turning pale on mention of the incident or flinching as the Commander spoke his name at roll call. Shinra hadn't looked into it. He never does. Why would he? Tseng is his _own _authority.

Elena grabbed her things then, throwing me a startled look before disappearing hurriedly down the hall. Well, if I was going to get my ass kicked, I wasn't going down without a fight.

"No point sending the kid away, yo. From what I hear, she wouldn't say shit about anything but the rainbows coming out of your ass..." I shrugged, and Tseng smirked, leaning against his door frame.

"She's merely misguided, like so many of you are..." he remarked airily, "She seems to think I return her affections beyond that of a good friend, and you little shits think you can do whatever you wish... Both misguided in your own little way."

"You might intimidate a few of the others, but you don't do shit to me..." I remarked just as airily, and his smirk widened.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You're a pussy cat. You might bring your claws out here and there, but I think that if anyone rubbed you the right way, you'd be purring in their lap by the end of the day."

"You're quite the arrogant shit, aren't you rookie?" He asked, before standing up straight and gesturing for me to step into his office. I did so very cautiously, but he was already sitting at his desk, so I doubted he would do much harm. I shrugged and sat in the chair across from him, as he reclined back slightly.

"So, what makes you think that you're Gaia's gift to man, woman, or God fobid anything else your sick little mind could be into?" Tseng smirked, and I shrugged casually. No intimidation. If I wanted to be a shit hot Turk, I wasn't going to show him that I was halfway between aroused from the teasing flick at the end of his lips, and halfway to shitting myself from that glint in his eyes. Keep pawing that water bastard, I'm gonna swim my way round that damn tank till you jump in and drown yourself.

"I don't think it, bossman. I just take in the info I see around me. I go for what I want, and I get it..." I replied, "Never failed me in the past, and it's how I came to be the rookie I am today."

"And what is it that the little prince wants?" Tseng asked flatly, an eyebrow raised, "What is it that the class clown from Midgar could possibly want?"

"Depends on what you're asking, yo. What do I want from what? From Shinra? I wanna be a Turk. I wanna be Commander some day when you're too old to do the good shit. I'm intending on being next in line..." I replied, holding his gaze despite the intense fuck-age it was doing to everything in my body. It was haywire in there. He looked mildly surprised, for the first time I recall, at my brashness. As was the usual though, any emotion was quashed as quickly as it came and replaced with another. This one, this intense gaze burning brighter than any of the others... Couldn't place it.

"From me."

"Eh?"

"What do you want from me, rookie? What's this bullshit you keep pulling?" he asked flatly, and his gaze never left mine, "I'm getting the impression you get some kind of pleasure out of seeing me tick..."

Well... not expected... Reply, reply... What the _hell_ am I meant to say to _that _shit? Fuck it. Boldness. A shit load of boldness. I'm never one to back down. Dad taught me that shit, and there is no way I'm gonna back down _now_.

"Well there ya go boss man. I pull this shit to see you tick. I get more than a little pleasure out of it. In fact, I get it in the truckloads..." I smirked, and I saw a flicker of surprise across his face.

"You're bold, rookie. It's going to fuck you over some day."

"I'm not denyin' that..."

"You can leave then..." He said flatly, as he stood up and headed for the door, "I have what I need. Head back to your quarters and study your ass off if you're really looking to be a Turk."

"I feel like drinking actually..." I shrugged, "So we'll have a little test to see if booze really fucks the system, then go for that test tomorrow..."

"I wouldn't if you value your ass. I wouldn't think even you would like my foot up it. It was an order rookie, not a request."

"Fuck your orders, and quit calling me rookie. It's Reno..."

I reached for the door handle, but didn't even manage to slip my fingers around it as I was slammed face first against the door and pressed against the wood. I stifled the gasp of surprise I had caught in my throat. Turks _don't_ gasp...

"What was that, slick?" Tseng asked, and I smirked.

"I said fuck your orders and call me by my God damned name. Maybe your getting older than I thought, _slick_..."

He pinned me with his own damned body and leant in to whisper in my ear.

"You really are a cocky little bastard, aren't you Reno?" he said sharply, as I felt his lips curl into a smirk at my ear, "You're so accustomed to being in charge of your own surroundings, aren't you? Prince of your own little world..."

"I..."

"You _what_ Reno? You're getting enjoyment out of this aren't you?"

Oh fuck yes. He didn't wait for a reply though, as he pressed his knee against my ass and ground the front of my waist painfully slowly against the door. Ah fuck... okay, maybe Turks can gasp a little. I needed an excuse for that bitchy little whimper I just gave out...

"You were probably a stray when we found you, weren't you? Raised in an unsettled family..." Tseng continued murmuring, apparently unphased, "Then spent your teens as a street rat..."

Asshole.

"Fuck off. I don't need you telling me wh- Ahhh..."

He obviously didn't want me speaking, applying a little more pressure as soon as I opened my mouth. Torture. Absolutely, _painfully_ _good_ torture...

"But we took you in, got you clothed, fed you. We brought you into a family, and we gave you a home as soon as you signed up for this."

"What bullsh-"

Holy mother fucking... He cut me off swiftly by pressing in tighter and slipping a hand down the front of my trousers. I choked on every one of those little gasps he was trying to draw out as he teasingly stroked what he found there.

"That means I _own _you, rookie... I own every piece of you, and this..." he smirked as his hand squeezed my full blown hard on, "Is no exception... You understand that, _Reno_?"

"...Yes..." I breathed shakily.

"Louder, Reno..." he ordered, squeezing again as his lips lingered on my earlobe, and his tongue slowly flicked out to taste my skin.

"Nn.. Fuck yes..." I nothing short of moaned, and his smirk widened slightly. He grabbed my ponytail and tugged it slightly, his hand still expertly working on where the large majority of my body heat was pooling.

"You even moan like a little street whore..." He smirked, before using his grip on my hair to twist my head and crash his lips against mine.

He tasted of coffee and something akin to cinnamon, but the strongest taste was that of the power and confidence that had snared me in to begin with. His tongue slid into my all too willing mouth and ravaged it, as his free hand slid up under my shirt to gently drag his nails along my chest and Gaia... oh Gaia... Swimming. Everything was swimming, and I struggled to keep myself conscious. It was a sensory overload, and it had left me barely standing. Had he not been supporting me so firmly, I would have collapsed on the ground about two minutes ago. I let out a strangled cry as his lips pulled back from mine and latched onto my earlobe. His hand also left my chest and he slipped two of his fingers in my mouth. I felt a little tremor run through my spine as I began laving at them, getting more pleasure than I probably should have out of the taste of his skin, the texture of his fingers on my tongue, the ministrations he was now applying to my neck... Oh fuck... please Tseng...

Wait... did I just say that out loud? Did I just beg like the little whore I had always denied being? Judging from the smirk against my skin... yes...

"What's it like? What's it like to lose all that self control? What's it like to be lost?" he whispered, nipping slightly at my collarbone as I wobbled slightly, the pleasure almost unbearable.

"Ahh..."

"What's it _like_?" he repeated, as I struggled to string a coherent statement.

"I just... Ahh..." I writhed slightly, but he pinned me again, "Good..."

"Why's that?"

"Because..." I paused, partially out of inability to speak and the mere fact that I didn't know why I was nearly seeing white merely from the magic of his fingers.

Because this was by far the hottest experience that I had ever had the absoulte _pleasure_ of being in and... ahh fuck... If he wanted me to speak the fucker should stop nipping at my jugular and sliding those delicate fingers so... suggestively... in and out of my mouth...

"Because it's _me_, isn't that it?" He murmured, his voice a little husky.

"Yes..." I managed to choke around his fingers as he left a hard enough bite to leave a mark.

"I _own_ you, Reno. I know it, you know it, and this..." He murmured, placing a feather soft kiss atop my newest wound, "will ensure that _everyone_ knows it..."

I nodded and damn near mewled, leaning into him and unable to stop the soft moan escaping my lips as I felt his own arousal pressed firmly against me. I ground a little for my own pleasure and found an even further enjoyment as his breathing hitched just barely against my ear, the shaky remnants of a gasp of his own slipping from his lips. I increased my attentions on his fingers, and his own fingers increased their intensity around my arousal. I thrusted shamelessly into his hand as I reached behind me to pull his head back to mine. I found what I was after as I let go of his fingers and sought his mouth. It was fire now, as I got closer and closer... so unbearably fucking close... He kissed me _hard_ for several moments before pulling back and locking blazing eyes with mine, as a light tinge flushed his cheeks.

"Show me you know it..." He murmured, a smirk slipping along his lips, "Show me you _know_ that I own you..."

"Tseng..." I half groaned, and he smirked wider, pulling my hand from the back of his neck and slipping two of my own fingers into his mouth. He held my gaze as he sucked and worked his tongue around them like a professional, taking obvious enjoyment from me throwing my head back and straining to keep my eyes open. He pulled them out and leant in to my earlobe once more.

"Show me..." He hissed, before raking his nails down my chest and biting my neck simultaneously. The mingle of intense pleasure and a sharp pain was enough to push me over, and I shuddered in his arms as I felt it burn through me.

"Tseng!" I cried out, before he swallowed my breath with his mouth. The kiss was just as blistering as all the others, and for the first time in any encounter I'd had, I was more than content for the other party to dominate.

I might have passed out, I wasn't sure, because I hadn't even felt Tseng's body heat leave before he was sitting at his desk and smirking with some sense of self satisfaction. His cheeks were still slightly flushed, and his hair was toussled from where I'd clutched at it. I also knew of what he was hiding beneath that desk, and he'd never been... sexier... I held his gaze as he watched me for a few moments.

"Tseng..." I said, still somewhat breathless, and he turned away. That smirk still lingered. Bastard. I composed myself and smirked lazily.

"You'll make a bad Turk out of me if this is what I get for lack of discipline..." I smirked smugly, as his gaze returned to meet mine.

"Quite the opposite. You'll go back to your place and study now, because if you don't, I'll have you kicked out of the course, and this will never happen again..." He smirked.

"What makes you think you have that much control?"

"I'm not going to have to change my pants when I get home..." He said matter-of-factly, "Because of just how much control I _do_ have, Reno..."

"You know, we could easily change that..." I smirked, and his lips curled upwards slightly.

"There are 34 undetectable poisons and paralyzers I have to dispose at my will, Reno. Unless you would like to be a guinea pig, I'd suggest you get to studying..." He said quietly, picking up his pen with a smirk on his face. I scowled slightly in mock defeat, knowing full well that if _my_ control could break, his could too.

"I'll see you around, Commander..." I shrugged casually, and he offered a small smirk in reply.

"I take pleasure in knowing that, rookie, because I am well aware that you will not stay away for long."

I slipped out of the room, having no wit or will to deny the statement with one of my own. I wish I could hate that bastard. I just can't _stand it_ when he's right...

--

**A/N: **Yay! This is personally my favourite lemon I've written so far. :3 I wrote it within two hours, so excuse overall quality please. lol. I thought it was ok, regardless. :P

Lemme know what you think please.

ILY all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings: Yaoi, Coarse language. I do not own or make any profit from FFVII stories or anything affiliated with them. This work is purely fan based and shall continue to be so.**

--

It was torture. You know, the kind of torture where you can't help but moan like a little whore for more of it? Well, maybe you don't know, but I was severely screwed in the head, so I guess it didn't count for shit. This was the fourth time in a month where I was sitting plastered at a bar, straddling some hot piece of ass' lap and hoping that whatever they were willing to offer me was anywhere near the kind of release I was after. I knew somewhere though that I'd never get it from anyone else... This particular babe was nibbling a little at my ears, and threading roughly calloused hands through my ponytail, as I licked at his jugular a little and- fuck it. We hadn't even gotten all that far, and I was getting hard. It wasn't the fact that I had a sex machine below me putting his skilled mouth to work on my skin. No, it was the fact that I had images of a _different_ sex machine running through my head, and the memories of _another_ set of teeth nibbling at my ears and my throat. I let out a little groan of disappointment that I once again hadn't been able to go the entire way in one of these little encounters without thinking of that bastard, and my new found friend here seemed to take that as a reassurance, his hands sliding around to cup my ass. I sat up though and slid off his lap, his mouth falling open slightly in what seemed to be a mix of frustration and confusion.

"Ah fuck. Nah man, it's nothing against you," I mumbled, "I'm just seriously fucked right now."

"You could be if you sidle on back over here..." He teased, and I cursed myself. I wasn't in the zone at all. I hadn't been since I'd left the Commander's office about four weeks ago and hadn't spoken to him all that much since. He certainly wasn't playing fair.

"Sorry yo. Hey, I'll leave a tab for ya at the bar, yeah?" I smiled, and he let out a soft sigh, scribbling down his phone number on a napkin and handing it to me.

"You need to call me sometime..." He said with a lazy smirk, and I nodded.

"For sure, yo," I smiled, making sure to add a little promise in it that I knew I was going to break.

Fuck one night stands. I used to be a prowler around here, with just about every bastard flinging his or herself at me. Lately though, I'd lost the flair, and spent many a night jerking myself off with Commander Shithead's name on my lips. Asshole. I wanted him more than I think I could bear, and yet I'd held up enough dignity not to go dragging my ass into his office and begging him for it. Tonight might be a little different though. I was pretty damn sloshed, and even my close call with the Cost del Sol muscle man hadn't sobered me up near enough to deal with the near catatonic state. It took me another hour or so of sitting at the bar and drinking up a good stupor, before I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and checked the time. Two am. It was still early, he wouldn't care I don't think... Heck, hadn't I drunk all that shit to make sure that _I _didn't give a shit if he cared or not? It rang a few times after I dialed the number, before he answered with his usual 'Hello?'

"Heyyy boss man!" I purred, as a long pause followed.

"...How'd you get my private number?"

"Not important. What are you doing?"

"Attempting to sleep."

"I want to see you, yo."

An even longer pause then, before-

"...Are you out of your mind?"

"You're not playing the game right, man. Ya know how long it took my ass to get you to even do that thing you did?"

"We play by my rules Reno. I'm in charge here. I thought you learnt that a little..."

"I think I can change that..." I suggested, and there was a soft sigh at the other end of the line.

"Go sober up," He said softly, a light drag of sleep on his words, "Because I am not giving you the day off if you can not drag your sorry ass out of bed."

"Sobering up sounds like shit, ya know? I wanna come over."

"No."

"I could make you want me, ya know?"

"You could only try."

"...What are you wearing? I bet it's tighty wightys. Or Gaia, tell me you're the kind who sleeps na-"

He hung up. Well, that was easily remedied. I called again, and he answered straight away, but said nothing.

"That was plain rude, yo!" I whined.

"Go home rookie."

"I'll think about it if you indulge me a little?" I asked coyly, and there was another long pause, followed by a soft sigh of defeat.

"Boxer shorts, no shirt. I find 'tighty wightys' constricting."

"Nice. What's on the boxer shorts?"

"They're plain."

"Colour?"

"Black."

"That's a little standard there, boss. Maybe you should invest in something a little sexier. Ya know, for my sake and all."

I could have sworn he snorted slightly.

"Go home, rookie."

"I told you, I wanna co-"

He hung up again. This was going nowhere, and neither was the persistent bulge in my pants. I'd have to be a little more forward it seemed.

--

I knocked on the door and waited patiently for him to come open it. It had been what, fifteen minutes since I'd called him? Maybe he was one of those bastards that fell asleep straight after you'd spoken to them. He was pretty tired, and I had no idea what kind of people were actually asleep at 2am on a Monday morning. No, I heard footsteps and a brief sigh behind the door as the cover for the peephole moved open. I'd have very little opportunity to do what I wanted to do, so I had already readied myself as he opened the door in a robe.

"What do you wa-"

He'd tried to ask me, but I'd leant in and captured his lips between mine, sweeping a tongue across his bottom one as he let out a muffled gasp of apparent surprise. He pulled back abruptly, and I nearly fell face first onto his doorstep. He smirked slightly, and raised an eyebrow.

"That was daring," He remarked lightly.

"Naw fuck man, come on..." I whined, as his eyes glittered slightly. I straightened myself up and placed both my hands on his robe's collar, leaning in to trail kisses along his neck. He didn't push me away, but he didn't pull me any closer either.

"You're acting like a dog in heat," he replied, apparently with some amusement, "Does alcohol always have this effect on you?"

"No," I replied, pulling back to meet his gaze, "It was pretty much all you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I was trying to get some action, but they weren't doing shit for me. All those other guys I mean," I explained, "And I kept thinking of you instead."

His expression was hard to read, but his eyes glowed slightly with apparent desire. Plus one for Reno. Boldness pays off once again. I smirked slightly as I leant in again and placed my lips against his. He pulled back again though and shook his head.

"You're not getting it Red, are you?" He smirked slightly.

I stood defiantly and cocked my head to the side.

"You _do_ want me, yo. I can see it in your eyes. That's the bitch about mako and the surprise of a sexy redhead showing up on your doorst-"

...Bastard closed the door.

"Go home, slick."

I heard him sigh softly, and even though I knew I could pick the lock without a problem, I didn't bother. Ah god, I'd need a shower by the time I made it home. IF I made it home. Hey, you know... Elena might be up... I dialed the numbers as best as I could before my vision started blurring a little. Phwoar, looks like that last tequila's kickin' in. My blonde little buddy answered her phone lazily, apparently having just been asleep.

"What's the matter with you people and your sleeping, yo?" I snorted, and she let out a small sigh when he realised it was me.

"Red, it's like 2:30 in the morning..."

"Come onnnn Len, show a little enthusiasm!" I grinned, before the door was flung open and my mobile was wrenched from my hands.

"You can go lie in a gutter and sober up for all I care, but you won't keep my secretary up," Tseng said sharply, moving the phone to his ear, "Apologies Elena."

There was a silence then, before Elena muttered something into the speaker. Tseng smirked slightly, and shook his head.

"No, no, he showed up on my doorstep."

Reno picked up the blonde saying something along the lines of 'Well that's surprising...' to which Tseng smirked.

"I wish I could say the same. Sleep well Elena."

With that he hung up and turned a scrutinizing gaze to meet mine.

"You ain't surprised I'm here?" I asked, and he shook his head slowly.

"I told you," He said smugly, "I am well aware that you will not stay away for long."

"'Scause you're so fuckin' sexy," I slurred a little, trying to smile teasingly, but he simply let out another sigh. I had a habit of doing that to people, although I admit I hadn't ever showed up on someone's doorstep half tanked. Well, at least not for a few weeks.

"I don't know how you can think that you're moderately alluring in this state. Go home and sober up."

"I don't think I can, yo."

"Why's that? You're still expecting to wind up in my bed?" Tseng scoffed.

"No," I said, as my head continued spinning, "I just don't think I can walk that far, yo."

"Catch a cab," He said, before closing the door, "I presume you've got cash."

I opened my mouth to make a witty remark, but don't remember saying anything before everything started to go black.

--

Aw fuck. I felt like I'd swallowed a dead cat. Seemingly, I had, from the taste on my tongue. It took a few moments to realise that I'd woken up probably because someone was shaking me roughly by the shoulder. I stretched a little, and the shaking stopped. I just about shit myself though when I realised that this wasn't my house. Sure, this had happened before, but I could usually remember how I got here. What the fuck did I do last night?  
"Unbelievable. You're a hassle even when you're unconscious," A familiar voice said from somewhere to my left, "You've somehow managed to get vomit on your jacket and shirt."

...Tseng? Oh yeah... Maybe I'd ended up getting laid after all. I rolled a little, and for once was a little disappointed not to feel a hollow ache in my ass.

"Eh?" I replied intelligently, and he suddenly came into view. Oh Gaia, he was gorgeous. He still looked a little sleep ruffled, and his hair was frizzed slightly as it hung around his face. He had an overall calmness to his eyes, despite being so obviously pissed off, and he was dressed in a loose sweat shirt and tracksuit pants.

"You threw up," He said flatly, "On your _uniform_. If you think for one second that that will get you out of work, you've clearly not sobered up quite yet."

I sat up slowly, fighting the pounding headache that had almost immediately emerged and stretched, finding myself to be pleasantly nude under the silken sheets.

"Nekkid, eh?" I said softly to myself, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yes. Good Gaia that was a task," he murmured, "And offers no explanation for how you vomitted on your _uniform_."

He then disappeared, obviously not waiting for an answer, and I swung my legs out of bed, pulling on my boxers. They'd managed to stay clean, thankfully, so with that I stood and languidly walked into the room I'd saw Tseng just enter.

He looked up from stirring his coffee mug and raised an eyebrow.

"You put on boxers, but no pants?" He said, and I shrugged. He shook his head and scowled slightly.

"Do you remember _anything_ about last night?" He asked, and I froze. Oh God, what had I done this time? Wait, no, maybe I hadn't gotten laid. Maybe Tseng had... oh fuck, this is not the time or place.

"Uh, no?"

"Let me remind you," He smirked, before moving over to his dining room table and sitting down. He set his coffee on the table and opened the newspaper beside him, beginning to read.

"After passing out on my doorstep, I reluctantly dragged you inside. You woke up a short time later and clung to me whilst bawling your eyes out saying that you would never drink again so long as you lived," He paused, taking a sip as I inwardly groaned, "You _then_ managed to vomit four times in about ten minutes, before passing out with your head over the toilet bowl."

I expected him to end it there, but he simply smirked for effect as he looked at me over his coffee cup. He took a long drink before putting it back down.

"You then had somewhat of another crying episode where you asked me if there was something wrong with you, because all of a sudden I didn't want you," he mused, "Before passing out once again."

Oh God. No, wait, now's the time to play cool.

"So, was it because I'm fat or something, yo?" I asked casually, and he raised eyes to meet mine briefly.

"I never said I didn't want you..." He remarked airily, before returning his gaze to his paper. Oh wow, he was good. He was a pro actually. Even just that gaze for a second too long when he said that? Hot. Then again, it might be the fact that I'm standing in front of him damn near naked. I swaggered over a little, and I could have sworn he rolled his eyes slightly, even though he wasn't looking up.

"You could have me anytime you want, ya know?" I purred, bending down to whisper in his ear, "All you'd have to do is ask."

He smirked slightly at this, his eyes never leaving the page.

"I know," He said lowly, "I just love watching you _squirm_."

"If you want me, why don't you just go for it?" I whined slightly, "Surely it isn't good for your own urges either, yo."

"I told you Red, I have enough self control to last," He replied, before I bent down and nibbled slightly on his ear.

"You're an asshole," I murmured, even as my tongue trailed along his lobe, "And it drives me insane."

"There's some clothes in the wardrobe that you can wear. Let me read my paper in peace," He said flatly, no flicker of emotion across his face. I was too quick and too good not to notice the flash of desire in his eyes however, and smirked slightly.

"Alright," I replied simply, standing and heading for his room once again, "But you won't last forever."

"We'll see," He mused, as he finished his coffee and raised the paper to block his face.

Cocky bastard.

--

He'd driven me to work that morning, and made me get out before we got to the building. Apparently I'm 'too embarrassing to be seen with'. I tried to point out the fact that I was wearing one of his suits, so people would know I'd been with him anyway, but he shook his head and pretty much shoved me out the door. _Asshole_. Anyway, that was about a week ago, and apparently nobody _did _notice that my suit was in better shape than usual, so only Elena and some guy called Rude knew what had happened that night. Tseng had a habit of treating Rude differently to the others. Rumour had it that the bald-headed guy had been second in command from the moment Tseng got promoted, and was given the pleasure of knowing just about everything about the usually stoic Commander. He was like Commander's pet or something, and I think the bastard knew it. Apparently Tseng even referred to the guy as his best friend. He could get away with just about anything. I tried to bring this up with the guy and he laughed.

"Me? Oh no kid, I ain't the pet. I'm the confidant," the bald headed weirdo commented.

Little did I know that insulting the guy would get me nowhere. Tseng paired me up with him yesterday, and I moved all my shit into our office today. I hadn't even spoken to Commander Asshole and he still had me on a tight leash. I took it as a good sign he moved me here though, because Rude's office is right next door to his. It was then I wondered if Mister Bald-tastic heard us a few weeks ago... Something told me that Tseng wouldn't have minded all that much either way.

"Yo, Rude, you think you could shuffle your shit over a little?" I asked, as the bald headed Turk looked up from his paperwork. That was about all he did. No wonder Tseng liked him.

"What?"

"I haven't got enough room for the plant, yo."

So I had this pot plant that my uncle had given me when I first became a Turk. I guess he expected it to keep me sane or some shit. Anyway, I'd brought this plant from a two inch sprout to an over a metre tall bastard of a tree. Whenever I went places, it came with me, that was just the deal. Now, I had no where to put it. Rude gestured at the corner furthest away at the window.

"Fuck that, yo! It needs sunlight or it'll die!" I snapped, and he actually started laughing. I mean fuck yo, I may be a Turk and all, but this tree was like family. If they expected me to keep up the act of hard ass fighter, they better let me keep the damn tree.

After a few minutes of 'negotiating', he moved his desk enough for me to plop the damn pot down.

"Happy?" He smirked, as he returned to his work.

"Yeah. No thanks to you asshole. What's with the sunglasses anyway?"

I mean, we were _indoors _for Shiva's sake.

"Style, slick."

"Slick?"

I hated that nickname. Tseng was seemingly rubbing off on the bald headed _asshole_.

And I hate the fact that he was on me too.

--

Turns out Rude's not such a bad guy really. He just dug my ass out of a tricky situation. We'd got stranded in this supposedly abandoned warehouse, and some asshole pretty much tried to assassinate us. Whatever. Anyway, Rude comes busting through the door like some missionary punk ass fighter and starts firing off enough rounds to take out the Highwind. You know, that big bastard of an airship? Yeah... So, he takes out these guys and takes me and some pretty little brunette girl out of there, whilst she bitches to him about how I fucked up the mission. Long story short, I'm waiting outside casually talking with Elena until Tseng decides to give me the lecture of a lifetime.

"I heard that you didn't listen to the Commander's orders and busted in there without scoping the area?" Elena remarked, and I rolled my eyes.

"He didn't _say_ to scope it out yo. He just said don't do anything stupid."

"And busting into an unfamiliar territory was a bright idea?"

"Enough of the lecture babes, he's going to offer me the mother of them in a minute..." I shrugged, pulling a cigarette from my coat and lighting it.

"He doesn't like people smoking in his office..."

"Have you taken a look at me Len?" I cried, spreading my arms and turning for effect, "I should be getting a fucking tranq or something! The cigarettes are gonna have to do, yo."

She shut the hell up after that, and I can only presume it was because she really did take a look at me. I had cuts all over the place, the uniform was just about in shreds and there was a shit load of blood still seeping from my skin from the treatment I'd just gone through. I'll admit, I hadn't expected the whole torture method of 'I'll cut you little by little till you're just about ready to kill yourself', and I sure as hell hadn't expected to survive it. Yeah, Rude was ok.

"Reno."

And there he is himself, Commander Lecture.

"Hey bossman," I shrugged casually, "How's it goin?"

"Come in," he said simply, before gesturing for me to enter. I did so with no protest, and he closed the door behind me before he sat at his desk. He looked tired, and I felt a little bubble of guilt settling in my stomach at the thought it had probably been my fault. He looked up at me as I stood before him and slowly shook his head.

"Look at yourself..." He said with a soft sigh, "You look like shit."

"Torture'll do that to you."

"Your little acts of _bravado_ are what'll do that to you."

Ouch. That tone was sharp enough to cut the air.

"If I had've known that there would have been any real risk in leaping in there, I wouldn't have done it yo," I shrugged, and watched him scowl slightly as I took a drag from my cigarette. He let out another trademarked sigh and rubbed his temple.

"I spoke to Cissnei."

Ah, that was the girl's name.

"Yeah?"

"She said that you offered to take both her punishment and yours, and they actually agreed to it?" He said, hinting a question in there.

"Yeah," I shrugged, "It didn't seem right that my fuck up got other people hurt."

"Gaia Reno, I'll never understand you," He said softly, smiling slightly, "You're an idiot and a bag of hormonal urges, yet you go ahead and do that for a comrade."

He stood then and slowly moved over to me, pulling a green orb out of his pocket.

"I'm going to cure you, even though I hadn't intended on it," He explained, reaching out and snatching at my wrist, "Because you're an arrogant little fuck and you nearly got yourself and another Turk killed."

"Anything else?" I smirked, and he returned the favour as he cast the spell, and snatched the cigarette from my hand. He shrugged a little as he ground it into the floor with his shoes.

"I'm not too fond of seeing you broken and battered, Red, to be honest. It doesn't suit you," he mused, and I took the advantage to pull him towards me with my own wrist and slink an arm around his waist. He didn't see it coming this time as I leant forward and pressed my lips against his, gently probing them with my tongue, and he let out a soft gasp, allowing me all the access I needed. I toyed with his own tongue, caressing it and gliding along it with my own, as he stood about as still as a cardboard box. I nipped a little at his lower lip as I saw the desire flick through his eyes once again, and his hands delved into my hair. He yanked slightly and pulled me closer to him as he kissed back with that burning ferocity that had made me just about pass out last time. Plus one for Reno. I pulled back slightly and started giving him a bit of a hickey on his neck, just where it connected to the collarbone. That's when he stopped me with a knee to the stomach, and I dropped like a sack of shit.

"Don't _do_ that..." He warned breathlessly, seemingly frustrated with himself, "I have to work."

I dragged my sorry ass off of the floor and coughed a little, wondering if my spleen had just ruptured, as he sat back at his desk, and I could have sworn he muttered 'damned tease' somewhere in the middle of it. He adjusted his tie from where I had yanked it in my desperate little move, and I sidled gingerly over to his side. I was determined this time. I grabbed the sides of his chair and spun it, before straddling his lap and smirking at him as I ground more than a little suggestively, his eyes widening momentarily in surprise. God, it was de ja vu from the club, but I was genuinely enjoying this. Added bonus? I didn't have to pretend it was Tseng, because it _was._

"You want me... as much as I want you...." I murmured as I pressed my lips to his neck again. He didn't touch me as he leant in to brush his lips against my ear.

"Maybe I do."

"Then take me."

"No."

I ground a little again, and pulled back, watching as he nibbled his lower lip in a barely noticeable action.

"Take me," I repeated, making sure to hold his gaze, and he held it just as defiantly.

"I said... _no_," he smirked, before reaching over to my hips and somehow managing to shove me off his chair without having to thrust against my pelvis. Asshole.

"Ah fuck!" I hissed, my tailbone hitting the ground _hard_. He smirked down at me, his eyes swirling with amusement and something a little more appealing.

"I don't want to play with a dirty toy," He remarked teasingly, "Go and clean yourself up. I might still want you when you get back..."

"You bet your ass you will!" I snapped, standing up and rubbing at my ass. He stood up too and leant in to briefly press his lips against my earlobe. He then murmured something along the lines of 'Watch your tone, slick' before steering me for the door. I was about ready to kick his ass, and I might have if I wasn't so eager to hold him to his previous suggestion.

--

I damn near burnt my skin off. I guess that's one of those consequences that come about when you leap into the shower and forget to turn on the cold. It was like Gaia's way of telling me to think straight and stop being a hornbag. It ended up being an entirely cold shower anyway. Something about being worked up in pleasure to the point of pain was a little too much to bear. Besides, it wasn't like it took a lot of effort on Tseng's part to get me ready to explode. Once I'd finished, I'd had just about the quickest toweling off of my life before hastily throwing on some cologne and a clean uniform. I took a brief glance at the clock on the wall, and cursed silently at the fact that just getting to my room and showering had taken a little over half an hour, and it would take another ten minutes to make it back to Tseng's office. I guess it was to be expected though, with the state I'd been in terms of cleanliness, and I'm pretty sure that I'd just about cracked him in terms of composure. He'd be waiting for as long as it took. I flung my coat over my shoulder and headed out the door, before making it to Tseng's office in a record five minutes. Elena eyed me off as I approached, and she let out a soft sigh.

"You're back again?" She asked, and I smirked lazily.

"Yeah, the boss is expecting me."

"Oh?" She said airily, so much like Tseng himself that I resisted the urge to snort. Misguided indeed.

"Yeah babes. You wanna get on your little intercom and let him know I'm here?"

"Tseng isn't to be disturbed right now, his request stated," She replied, "So no."

"It's ok if it's me, Len, come on. I thought you'd be happy to see me anyway?" I smiled teasingly, and she blushed slightly, as a slow smile crept along her lips. Wrapped around my pinky...

"Of course I am."

"Then you'll let him know, yeah?" I leant forward on her desk and rested my head in my hands, holding her slightly widening gaze with my own. She turned her eyes away slightly and laughed. Girls. They were so easy to manipulate when you needed to. She smiled sweetly then, her eyes still not meeting mine.

"No. Sorry."

"Eh?"

She shook her head again, and I was left momentarily speechless. All of that, and she was still denying me _anything_?

"He's not in his office, Red," She explained softly, as she shuffled the paperwork on her desk, "So I can't let you in."

"What do you _mean_ he's not in his office?"

"He had a meeting about ten minutes after you left, didn't he tell you?" She asked, and I resisted the urge to cuss my ass off. That fucking _tease_.

"Nah, I guess he forgot..." I said dryly, and she smiled in apparent amusement. I never really knew if Elena was clued on more than her hair colour suggested, but with that smirk I think she knew that _something _was up, even if she couldn't quite explain what exactly it was.

"Out of curiosity, where is he?" I asked casually, and she hesitated, pursing her lips as she shuffled again with her papers. I'm guessing that she didn't have anything else to do but pretend to look busy and piss me off...

"In a meeting..." She said slowly, and I damn near rolled my eyes. Suddenly though, a window of opportunity flung itself open as I saw a flash of silver turn down the hall.

"See ya toots!" I grinned, before heading off in said silver's direction. He was only walking, but it still took me a hell of a while to catch up to him.

"Yo, General!" I called out, and he stopped, turning a quizzical gaze in my direction. He looked me up and down, and raised an eyebrow.

"A Turk?"

"Yes sir. You wouldn't happen to know where the commander is, would you?"

"Commander Tseng?" He said slowly, and it was an even bigger temptation to roll my eyes. For someone so widely feared and awed, Sephiroth didn't seem like too much of a bright spark.

"Yeah, I need to speak to him. Have you seen him?"

"He's in a meeting with the Vice President," Sephiroth said flatly, no emotion flitting across his features. Yeah, ok, he was attractive, I wasn't ever gonna deny that shit, but he was a little creepy too. Although those eyes were big and green and gorgeous, they were also kinda piercing to the point of uncomfortable. He was reading every little thing I was doing, and I figured he'd make a pretty shit hot Turk if he wasn't, you know... GENERAL OF THE FREAKING ARMY.

I shrugged a little under his gaze, cool, composed, and he seemingly waited for a response, before I shrugged and offered a quick salute.

"Thanks for that, General," I said casually, "I'll see you around."

"You too...?"

"Reno."

"Reno? Your name is familiar..."

His gaze swept over me, lingering on my hair, and he must have been trying to recall some descriptive piece of me that would set off a memory. As I said, damn fine Turk material.

"Tseng speaks well of you," He said finally, "Even if he refers to you as 'The redheaded rookie'."

"A few people say he's been talking about me yo."

"He does. Perhaps he's taken a liking to you."

"I can only hope..." I mumbled, and damn near passed out when the unthinkable happened. Sephiroth smiled softly.

"I see," He mused, "Carry on then."

With that, he continued walking down the hall, the complete opposite of Rufus Shinra's office, and I made a bee line for the VP's door. He wanted to play hard to get? I'd have to play harder to refuse.

--

I caught him just as he was coming out, and his eyes met mine with a surprised amusement as he closed the door behind him.

"Reno," He said simply, even as I glared pointedly at him. There was a light smirk toying along his lips, as I stood watching him with as much composure as I could handle.

"Commander," I replied lightly, "I had no idea you would be having a meeting this afternoon."

"Oh?"

"_Ass_hole..." I scowled, and that teasing little smirk emerged at full strength.

"I made no guarantees. You interpreted my statement as you wished," Tseng explained calmly, heading for his office with me hot on his heels.

"You gave me the suggestion yo, it was _there_," I whined slightly, and he stopped in the middle of the hallway. His eyes glowed slightly with amused desire and he leant in closer to me.

"Do you understand how it feels now?" He asked, "When someone who owns their own world shoots the opportunities down for those that want a part of it?"

What the fuck was he on about? All I knew was that he knew something right now that I didn't and that fact on its own was a little disturbing. I made to ask what he was smoking, but he shook his head.

"I was there that night, Reno," He said calmly, "In that bar, watching you straddle that other man and driving yourself crazy because you knew it wasn't me..."

Fuck. No, wait, that could have just been a well educated guess... He shook his head, watching me intently.

"You danced for most of the night, and continuously tossed back one drink after another. I also know that the girl in the green shirt at the bar was entirely infatuated with you, but you had no idea," he remarked, and my stomach tightened. I could vaguely remember the girl at the bar, blonde, real pretty, and most definitely wearing green shirt. She kept giving me my drinks for free and smiling sweetly every single time.

"When you went to leave, you said you'd call the guy you were sitting on, and everything about that teasing little smirk promised him that you would," Tseng remarked, "But I think we both know you won't..."

He leant in closer, his lips teasing at my ear as he continued to talk.

"I want to show you that you can't always get everything you want for nothing Reno," he whispered all too seductively, "Some things you have to work for..."

My eyes fell closed a little of their own accord as his mere closeness began to drive me a little insane.

"...Tell me what I have to do..."

"That's for you to figure out," He murmured, pulling back and continuing his walk down the hall as if nothing had happened. I inwardly groaned, as I felt my blood racing a little faster, and once again had ended up being outsmarted, outwitted, and left alone by Commander shithead himself. For me to figure out? It'd be my sole mission from then on.

--

**A/N:** Ok, dunno if the non-Australians will get the use of the term 'hornbag'. It's basically a hot piece of ass that is a little on the... uh... 'non-intelligent' side? It's from the show Kath & Kim (The Australian version. From what I hear, the American version was _horrible_) which I don't even watch, but that has somehow threaded it's lingo into the general Australian population. Lawl at our country's oddness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings: Yaoi, Coarse language. I do not own or make any profit from FFVII stories or anything affiliated with them. This work is purely fan based and shall continue to be so.**

--

Little by little, he was getting worn down. It didn't take a scientist to see that each time I offered a suggestion, he bit on it. He wanted to see me put in the work, I was putting it in. Just to prove the bastard wrong, every assignment he'd set me, every task he'd put me on, every test and assessment I'd had, had all been met with the same amount of fierce determination. Tongues were talking, and as is per usual, I was having my ego stroked from every angle. They wondered how I knew just shit hot good I was. Pffsh, they _told_ me. Every time I got a little too out of line, he kept me in check though. Didn't matter where the hell we were, my ego could take a battering with a few sharply chosen words, and ridicule from my team mates. Today's mission, I'd taken out over fourty guards at a warehouse of stolen goods. FOURTY of the fuckers. I'd come back and bragged a little in the lunch room. I mean fuck, that's an achievement that deserves a little recognition.

"…So then another few came right at me, their leader with em, and I used the EMR to wipe them out before they managed to get a decent hit on me," I'd smirked smugly, as Rude raised an eyebrow and even Elena seemed a little star struck.

"So you're saying you did all of this within two hours? On your own?" Cissnei gasped, wide eyed, as she clutched her mug of cocoa and perched on the end of one of the sofas.

I opened my mouth to explain my extraordinary skill, but Shithead appeared out of nowhere and had some input of his own.

"He did, yes. He also managed to take out two second class SOLDIERs waiting on standby to pick him up, render one of our choppers out of action, cause over two _million_ gil worth of damage, and take out the _one_ suspect that we needed for interrogation," He smirked slightly, as he headed over to the coffee machine and prepared his mug, "As well as all that, he made it back to the office four hours behind schedule and smelling distinctly of manure."

At this, the rest of the Turks within earshot fell into hysterics. For Rude, this meant a light bout of chuckling, but for the others, it meant howls of laughter and tears. I shrugged my shoulders, smirking casually, even as I felt my cheeks burn. Damn having pale skin, blushes showed far too easily.

"What can I say, yo?" I shrugged, "Nobody's perfect."

He smirked at me over his coffee cup as he took a sip from it.

"Don't you have your own machine in your office?" I asked, and he nodded simply.

"It's far less amusing then this one, however…"

"Hey… Hey Reno…" Elena gasped through her laughter, "I gotta ask, why manure?"

"Elena, you should know by now that it's impolite to ask such a question," Tseng smirked, "What Reno does in his spare time is his own choice."

"If I had my way, I'd have done something a long time ago," I smirked, quietly enough so that only he could hear, "So sometimes, not everything is my own choice."

His eyes flashed a little, and his smirk turned devious.

"Despite Reno's mishaps, he is most certainly working hard, however," He said to the rest of the crew, "He only recently returned from his mission, but if my memory serves me correctly, the rest of you have all been in this room for over an hour now."

With that, the others leapt to their feet, downing the last dregs of their coffee, and pulling their gear together.

"Elena, back to the office for now. If we require your assistance, we'll be sure to let you know. Rude, head to sector five and check up on the girl. Make sure there are no further disruptions to her. Cissnei, head over to SOLDIER headquarters and hand this the General personally. If his secretary or anyone else should ask questions refer them directly to me," He said firmly, handing Cissnei an envelope before turning to me, "Reno, come with me."

Pretty sure that had been my intentions from the start there, Commander…

"Yes sir."

I followed him obediently out of the room and swaggered along beside him as he headed for his office.

"You miss me while I was gone?" I asked, a smirk toying along my lips, as he cleared his throat a little.

"Initial reports from SOLDIER had been sent to me informing me of your death," He said flatly, and I faltered in my steps. Fuck, they thought I'd been killed? I mean fair enough, I'd copped a few hits and I was a little ruffled up and battered and torn and shit, but I was far from dead. He turned to give me a small frown, before continuing on.

"I guess you could say I was concerned, to say the least," He replied lowly, as I trotted to catch up to him.

"What in the name of Gaia made them think I was dead?" I asked, and he shook his head, before gesturing me into his office, Elena giving me a soft smile on the way in.

"Is that why everyone's been so nice to me today?" I asked, and he gave a small smirk.

"Possibly. You dissolved Elena and Cissnei to tears, and even Rude was a little quieter than usual," He remarked, sitting down with his coffee as I fell into the chair across from him.

"What about you?" I asked, and he held a blank expression.

"As I said, I was concerned to say the least."

"And to say the most?"

He said nothing to this, frowning instead.

"The reason why they thought you were deceased was because SOLDIER witnessed you captured by the enemy and seemingly lifeless after they'd left you for an hour and a half on your own. Your communications had been cut, and we were picking up no signals from your life monitoring device. Simply by looking at you, you were in terrible shape, and adding the other information together, they assumed the most logical conclusion," He explained, "Based on their streamed reports, we all did the same. I need a report from you within the next hour. At the moment, we've stopped the process of wiping your records clear, but due to outdated protocol, we can not reinstate your position until we have a report confirming your state of living."

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

"Hey sunshine, take a look," I smirked, stretching back in my chair, "I'm as alive as ever, ain't that proof enough?"

His eyes roamed my torso, and I felt my blood boil a little. Oh yeah, he was checking out the goods…

"Are you aware of just how seriously you are wounded?" He remarked, as I raised a brow, lifting my shirt and setting sights on my abdomen for the first time. Holy _fuck_, I think I could see my hip bone.

"Fuck!" I cried, leaping to my feet in nothing short of panic, "What the _fuck_?!"

"It would do you no good to panic. You're probably still pumped with mako and adrenaline, a likely cause as to why you hadn't felt the severity before you saw it," He said calmly, standing and moving to my side. He placed a finger on the injury and I howled out in pain, swatting his hand away. Where the _hell_ had that come from?!

"That's my bone, ass face!" I snapped, and he smirked a little, trailing his fingers a little lighter, and a little lower, along my skin.

"Uh…" I said dumbly, as his eyes flashed again.

"Sir?" A voice called from the door, as Tseng immediately stepped back from me.

"Yes Elena?" He called, as she opened the door and looked in.

"Is everything alright sir? I thought I heard a cry out and got wor-" She froze, her eyes settling on my wound, and her face paling dramatically.

"Reno will be fine Elena, it looks a lot worse than it is, believe me," He smiled softly, and she nodded shakily, before running over and flinging her arms around my shoulders.

"Gaia Reno, they told us… They said that you'd…. We were so worried, and now you're… well look at you!" She sobbed, as I tentatively pat her back, Tseng gently placing a hand on her elbow, as she raised puffy eyes to meet his.

"Elena," He said softly, and she wiped hurriedly at her eyes.

"I'm sorry sir, I don't know how I lost… I don't know… I'm sorry," She spluttered, as he nodded and gently guided her to the door.

"Take the afternoon off Elena, you're unfit to work," He said firmly, and she shook her head.

"I'm fine Sir! I'll return to duties immediately, Sir!" She saluted, and he offered her a small smile. What I wouldn't give for him to treat me like he treats her. He's so gentle, and caring, and loving… Fucking sentiment. I was a Turk, I needed to dump that shit when I woke up in the morning and flush it down the toilet with last night's dinner.

"I insist, Elena. We'll see you tomorrow," He said firmly, and she nodded in resignation, offering me a shaky smile before disappearing to her quarters.

He closed the door and turned back to me, rubbing his temple. He looked tired and worn down, and I hadn't seen him like this since I'd nearly gotten me and Cissnei killed. Come to think of it, he never really looked this bad unless I'd nearly off-ed myself. Call it my ego, but that seemed to be a pretty good sign in my favour.

"You look like shit, yo," I smirked, and he returned the favour.

"You're hardly in a position to talk, Red," He retorted, and I gave another hard look at my wound. That was some fucked up shit right there…

"So, will I need some special attention to get this fixed, or what?" I asked, prodding at the wound with my finger and watching a small amount of blood trickle out, "Come to think of it, there ain't much blood coming out…"

He dropped to his knees before me and my filthy little mind kicked up all sorts of images to make my breath catch. Instead, he pulled out a sewing kit from his inner coat pocket and started pressing medical thread through a needle. Oh Gaia, no.

"Don't tell me you're gonna stitch me up like a frickin ragdoll!" I cried, and he smirked sadistically.

"It's exactly what they'd do at a hospital or anywhere else. The only difference is that you're a Turk, and I'd rather I handled you myself," he explained, before I felt the prick through my side.

"Fuuuuu~…" I cut myself off, biting down hard on my lip instead, and drawing blood. He meticulously thread the needle in and out, ensuring that he left little room for seepage or blood flow. I had to admit, he was good at what he was doing. I guess you don't get Turk Commander for nothing. Once he'd finished, and was cutting the thread, I allowed myself a forced smirk, pushing away my pain as best as I could.

"So, uh, while you're down there…" I smiled teasingly, and he raised a brow, before moving back to his desk chair.

"I've been working hard, yo!" I practically whined, as he pent his fingers and smirked.

"Maybe you haven't done what you need to do just yet, rookie," he remarked, "You're excused from duties for the next two days. Go home and clean yourself up, and if you find any more concerning wounds, let me know."

"That's all?"

"And take a few of these," He said flatly, tossing a bottle of pills at me, "They'll help with the pain once the adrenaline wears off. They'll also boost your mako levels for a short amount of time so you can heal quicker."

"Whatevs," I shrugged, heading for the door, popping the pills in my coat pocket.

"And Reno?" He said just as I turned the handle.

"Yeah boss man?" I asked, meeting his gaze.

"I'm glad you're not dead just yet," He smiled softly, and I felt a Gaia forsaken flutter through my gut, "Welcome back."

"Thanks sir…" I murmured, slipping out and heading for my quarters.

--

"Did ya cry?"

"…"

"Wanna curl up in a little ball and sob yourself to sleep?"

"…"

"You can admit it, yo, won't make you any less of a man."

"…"

"I can hear your heart bleeding still, yo. It must have been traumatic."

"Reno, leave him alone," Tseng warned, as he walked in to me leaning over Rude's desk and pestering him relentlessly. The bald-headed mute was barely biting however, and it was driving me up the frickin wall.

"All he has to tell me is that he got teary when he thought I was dead," I smirked, leaning over my newly assigned partner once again, and tapping his bald head. He countered with a swift slap to my side, hitting my wound clear on.

"Mother fu-!"

"Reno!" Tseng snapped, and I turned a scowl in his direction.

"Did you see what he just did, yo?"

"I did. It was well placed and well deserved," He said flatly, "Now go _home_. I have told you several times that you are unfit for duty at this present time."

"Boost me up on pain killers and I'll be fine, yo," I shrugged, moving over to my pot plant and inspecting some new found spots on its leaves.

"I'll take you home myself, if you insist on being stubborn," Tseng muttered, and a flash of hope zipped through my eyes.

"Reeeeally?"

Tseng flicked eyes to Rude, who I could have sworn had _just_ been smirking his ass off, before offering an impatient frown in my direction.

"Grab your things Reno," He stated, heading out the door before I barely had a chance to register anything. Asshole.

I trotted along the corridor, panting slightly as my wound burnt a shot of pain with every jolt it took. Yeah, okay, I might not be as fit for work as I first thought. I needed booze.

"Are we goin' past a liquor shop on the way, yo?" I asked, and he merely gave a scrutinizing gaze.

"You're thinking of alcohol at a time like this?" He asked, and I nodded.

"How could I not? I'm hurting all over, and I got a shitload of stuff on my mind that I ain't too keen on keeping there," I explained, and he rolled his eyes slightly.

"Alcohol's not going to cure all your problems, Reno," he narrowed his eyes at me, before stopping abruptly. I walked smack bang into his back, and my sides felt like they were just about to split apart.

"Hey!" I snapped, but stopped when I saw his eyes focus on something on the wall a little further down the hallway. I barely had time to try and figure out what the fucker was, before he'd spun me around, wrapped his arms around me and dived across the floor. I found out why, when only a few moments later, the little black thing on the wall made a mother of a blast rip through the building, sending a wall of heat over the top of us and a shit load of debris flying everywhere. There was a cough above me, as Tseng brushed bits of the ceiling off his jacket and leapt to his feet, pistol drawn, as I rolled a little on the floor. My breath was gone, and as I brushed a finger along my side, I found a large chunk of plaster lodged a little above my already gaping wound. Well fuck me, that was just plain rude…

I heard shots going off, and Tseng disappeared back into the smoke, as I felt my shoulders grabbed, and I was dragged across the floor. I fought to get myself free, but I had stars in my eyes from the blast, and I could barely hear shit. There was little left to do but wait for the mako to kick in. I finally managed to struggle free as the smoke cleared, and I aimed my pistol at my captives. Turns out it was Rude and Cissnei, as I found out when Rude himself bitch slapped me and knocked my gun from my hand.

"The fuck?!" He snapped, and I shrugged, heading for where I'd saw Tseng snake his way before. I felt a little sick to the stomach at the amount of blood there was on the floors, and it was looking a lot like it was a trail… right from where we'd fallen. Fuck me…

"Tseng!" I called out through the flames and gathering smoke clouds. I thought the smoke had died off, where the hell was it all coming from? Rude and Cissnei and about a million others dispersed their way into the smoke, and headed for where there were gunshots. I opted for the less preferred method of combat, which was to promptly feel violently ill and begin to pass out.

"Fuck…" I managed to murmur, before it all went dark.

--

"Piss weak…"

"Can't even take a few bullets and a roof like a man!"

"No kidding."

"Didn't hear me bitching. I got hit twice and I'm still going strong."

"Would you be here if you were?"

Sounded like…Elena… and… Cissnei? And…

"Rude, you son of a bitch…" I groaned, and I heard a soft sound which may very well have been repressed laughter.

"Welcome back partner," he greeted, as my groggy eyes opened blearily and I took in the all too familiar sight of the infirmary walls. Get out of here. You serious? I looked around. To my left, Elena was perched on my bed and swinging her legs over the metal railings. To the right, Cissnei was in a bed of her own, propped up so that she could sticky nose at me whilst Rude sat by her bed. Elena handed me a small cup of some blue liquid shit, and not thinking terribly too much, I downed it. If I hadn't swallowed so quickly, I'd have sprayed it across the room.

"The fuck is that?!" I spat, and she smirked to herself, "Tastes like ass…"

"It's a mix of mako and morphine. Might taste like ass, but you're gonna be on cloud nine in a minute, so don't bitch too much," she shrugged. I leant back on my pillows and scowled at her as best as I could, before the drugs started kicking in.

"Fuck Elena, I take back any bad thoughts I ever thought of you babe," I grinned, "Marry me honey."

She laughed, her cheeks flaring, as Rude cleared his throat and filled me in a little.

"That bomb was set up by an un-named terrorist group. We don't know how they got through security just yet, but it's pretty apparent who their target was," he frowned, as an awkward silence crept across the room. They couldn't mean…

"Me?" I asked, kind of full of hope that they'd agree, I could take the blame, and everything would be peachy. That way that sinking feeling in my gut would kinda disappear, and Tseng would walk through that door and lecture the absolute shit out of me.

"Tseng's missing. Footage showed him unconscious with heavy blood loss being taken from the building as the attackers retreated," Cissnei rushed, taking no time to breathe, "We had no time to follow as the next wave came and a heap of us were taken out…"

My ears rang, and I was pretty sure it wasn't just from the explosion still echoing through them. I was clambering out of bed before Rude even had a chance to get to me. He did though, and managed to catch me as I wobbled a little and almost fell.

"Crazy son of a…" Rude murmured as I flailed a little, trying to pry him off me. Some fuckers were gonna die, and he should know that for that to happen, he'd have to let me go.

"Let me go ass face," I snapped, and he did just that. I took about three steps before promptly hitting the deck. Urgh… Not the best move on my behalf.

"_That's_ why you're not doing shit right now," Rude muttered, pulling me back to my feet and helping me back into bed. Fuck. Tseng… Gaia, what the fuck were we gonna do now?

"So, us four are all in here," I frowned, "And you said a shit load of the others were taken out. Who's looking after the whole Tseng issue?"

Elena and Cissnei shared a concerned glance. Rude simply shifted his collar uncomfortably and moved his weight from one foot to the other.

"You're not going to like the answer," He muttered, and a thought flew through my head. They wouldn't have though, surely?

"Naaaah…" I snorted, but Elena looked a little less amused.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Red," She shrugged, "None of us like it, but you know that certain situations call for this kind of co-operation… I think that putting everything aside, he's in good han-"

"Fuck off!" I scoffed, "You can't seriously be implying that they've sent SOLDIER out after him?"

There was a very non-reassuring silence that extended for a few moments after that. Fuck me. SOLDIER. The very people that we knew were most incompetent in… well, everything… were going out there to help out a Turk?

"Shinra's orders," Cissnei explained, "He wants the Turks to focus on getting healed, basically."

I shrugged, feigning my defeat.

"Guess we've got no choice then, huh?" I asked, and Cissnei and Elena seemed relieved that I'd accepted this little turn of events. Rude however, knowing me better than the others did, simply looked more concerned.

--

These girls never shut up. Ever. They were always gossiping about boys, or about work, or about how much of an ass I am. I told them I could hear every word they were saying, but it didn't seem like they cared all that much. I'd been here for seven hours already, time was wasting, and all I wanted was for Cissnei to fall asleep and for Elena to disappear. I'd been waiting three hours. Rude had done the smart thing and fucked off when they'd started talking about prissy boy Fair and how much of a tight little ass he had. Okay, granted, it _was_ a nice piece of ass, but come on.

"Alright then," Elena smiled drowsily, stretching her arms out and stifling a yawn, "Time for me to hit the hay. You two get some rest, hey?"

"Will do, doll," I winked, and her cheeks flared again. Girls. They'd do anything for a handsome face.

"Hey Len?" Cissnei murmured sleepily, her face already half buried in her pillow. Elena offered an 'hmm?' and the brunette let out a soft sigh.

"You gonna be okay?"

With that the lil blonde faltered, and I felt my heart bleed a little as she fought back brimming tears.

"Yeah, of course!" She grinned cheerfully, "Be great to get some sleep though, I'm stuffed."

With that she gave Cissnei a brief cuddle and waved goodbye to me. Cissnei let out another soft sigh, before murmuring a goodnight in my direction. Within about two minutes, she was resonating soft snores through the room. Petite my ass.

After another ten minutes or so of gradually increasing decibels in terms of snoring, I slipped out of bed. The nurses usually didn't make rounds here too late. They checked every hour or so, and the last time they'd popped by was about fifteen minutes ago. Home free. To be honest, I was feeling a shit load better than they were giving me credit for. When you pump a fucker full of mako and whatever the hell else they'd given me, they heal a shit load quicker than your average damaged goods. Besides, I wasn't dizzy any more, and my movements were nice and smooth. No pain and I hadn't even hopped up on the morphine since about four hours ago. Wounds were just about healed. I crept over to the window and looked out. We were on the second floor, by the looks of it. A decent drop, but not enough to hurt me. I slid the window up and threw another glance over my shoulder at Cissnei, who had half of her body hanging out of the bed and over the side railings. She wasn't waking up any time soon.

"Well, here goes nothing…" I murmured to myself, swinging my legs over the window ledge and staring into the pitch black below. You'd think they'd have garden lights or something, but no. I pumped my mako traces through my body, and gradually, everything got brighter. I jumped off the edge and fell, landing so that I rolled and no particular bone took too much pressure. A window a few metres away suddenly filled with light and I rolled on the ground in time to see a nurse peering out the window. Close call.

I managed to get back to my quarters, equip myself, and check my pistol four times before the inevitable came.

"Figured it wouldn't take you long," Rude remarked lightly, as he appeared in the frame of my doorway. Sneaky bastard was so quiet I damn near shat my pants.

"The _fuck_ Rude?!" I hissed, "You reckon you could maybe make your presence known next time?"

He laughed quietly at this and shook his head.

"…Figured what wouldn't take me long?" I asked, and he gestured towards my prepared suit, EMR and pistol.

"You going to get him back, partner?" He asked, and I nodded.

"I don't trust SOLDIER. They're too likely to fuck shit up. Likelihood is, they haven't left yet. They've probably spent the last few hours trying to figure out a game plan that ain't gonna do shit anyway."

"You going alone?"

"Yup."

He let out a frustrated sigh then, and I turned to give him a full-blown smirk.

"Ah Rudey-baby, I know you're gonna miss me and all, but there's no need for tears!" I reached out a hand and rubbed his head, as his eyebrow twitched slightly. He thrust a small bag into my hands and turned abruptly. He paused in the doorway before he left and looked over his shoulder.

"Try bringing him back in one piece, and use some discretion for Gaia's sake…"

I started clipping everything onto me, making sure I didn't take more than I needed, and gave a nod in the bald guy's direction. He gave a half-assed wave as he walked away, and we both knew by now that it was his way of wishing me luck without showing too much interest.

"Thanks man, look after my plant while I'm gone, yo. Don't think I haven't noticed those spots on the leaves," I called after him, and I could have sworn I saw the corner of his lip curl upwards. That was the thing about Rude. He knew when a guy needed to do something on his own, and he gave him that privilege. Something told me he wanted to come after these bastards as much as me, but he didn't stop me or try and convince me otherwise. It was probably for the best that he decided not to, because when you're dealing with fuckers like this, you gotta be prepared to break the rules; and that just wasn't his style.

The air was pretty still, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on the situation. I'd just snuck out of Sephiroth's office after having swiped the General's files on Tseng's case. That's another reason I hated SOLDIER. If I could sneak into their elite General's office and steal paperwork, what did that have to say about their security skills? As far as SOLDIER had figured out, the group was calling themselves '_Gaia's Keepers_', and they were hell bent on setting Shinra crashing down. Apparently we were destroying the planet, destroying everything that Gaia had blessed us with, and had hurt Gaia's children in the process… blah, blah, blah. We got this kind of shit all the time. Sure, we weren't angels, but the people we killed? Well, let's just say they got their just desserts. I can understand why Shithead would be a target, considering he signed all those lives away, as well as took on the cases that were a little bit more than questionable in terms of morality. The thing is, when you aim for an entire organisation, you ended up hating everyone, rather than getting to know them personally. So, they'd gone for Tseng despite him being one of the most highly regarded people within Shinra. Why? Because the bastard had earned a title. 'Commander'. Pretty much all it was. Anyway, the group was set in sector four. That place is a dead set shit hole. It was three am by now, and I knew better than to presume that the darker side of Midgar would close for the night. At the very least though, they'd be a little less alert, and I'd be damn near impossible to spot.

I rocked up outside the area where the group was supposedly located and activated my mako. Night goggles… Pffsh, useless. Everyone should just get mako shots. It was a warehouse of some sort. It wasn't real big, but it was big enough for what these guys were doing. All they needed was a little anonymity and a place to hide an office and some guns.

"… I hear that he deserted his own continent for this one in exchange for his family's safety," I heard a voice a little up ahead, and settled my gaze on a pair of watchmen just outside the building's roller door. Both were holding guns in plain sight, and it kind of made you wonder what kind of people they were to do something so brazen. Either really dumb, or really cocky.

"Yeah, I certainly wasn't expecting a Wutaian when they brought him back," the other guy replied, in a thick Cosmonian accent. That was a rarity. Most of the Cosmonians couldn't handle life in Midgar. The air pretty much choked them to death.

"Well, Shinra does an okay job of keeping him low profile. I don't think I've seen him more than once on the TV," the first guy nodded, "He's definitely low key."

"Turks, eh? You never know when one of the bastards is lurking around the shadows," The Cosmonian laughed, as his local friend joined in. Dumb asses.

I slid along the walls of the buildings and took out the little bag that Rude had given me. I'd opened it just before I'd left and regretted not thanking the bastard while he was still there. Sixteen small packages of C4 explosives, all with a time based charger. Home made, by the looks of it. You'd think that a fact like that would bother me, but knowing it was Rude who rigged them up only gave me more confidence. I started setting them at parts where the building was falling apart a little. The structure was weak already, so this bitch was coming down with little to no fight. I just had to make sure that I executed my half assed plan flawlessly. For good measure, I hooked up a few of the firecrackers I'd stuffed into my back pocket to one of the timers and stashed them in the alleyway, as well as placing a few in some dark little corners of the street. After a few moments, the Midgarian stretched and declared that he needed to take a leak. The minute he was gone, I picked up a pebble and threw it through the air to hit a trash can across the alleyway. The Cosmonian was quick off the mark, cocking his gun and aiming it at the cans.

"Who's there?" He called, eyes nervous and edgy, "Show yourselves!"

He took a few steps forward, and I took the moment to slip through the door behind him. Fuck me, if the guys who took Tseng were anything like this guy, he'd been captured by amateurs. I slipped inside and headed for the darkest corner of the room, praying to Gaia that ther- Yeah, there was an air vent. Gaia was being a little too good to me today. To be honest, I was a little unsettled by this. It was all too… easy…

I pulled myself into the vent and slid along the metal halls. At the moment, I just needed to find out where the stubborn bastard was. He was good enough to get himself out of this shit, I'd be fucked if I knew what was taking him so long to just kick some ass and get the hell outta there. When I looked through the sixth ventilation shaft, I got my answer. Not much you can do for yourself when you're unconscious and hanging from the ceiling by your wrists. Shit, he looked bad… I watched then, as a bulky guy walked over with a bucket of water and threw it over the top of the Commander, just barely rousing him to consciousness.

"Ah! You're awake," The guy smirked, "What a pleasure."

Tseng looked less than impressed. In fact, he didn't really look like he was feeling anything at all.

"The pleasure is mine…" He remarked dryly, before the guy picked up a metal bar and toyed with it in his hands.

"That wouldn't surprise me. You sick fucks are trained to like this kind of a beating, huh?" He asked lightly. Tseng said nothing, choosing instead to stare straight ahead at the guy in front of him. I looked a little further down the ventilation shaft and saw that they weren't the only two in the room. There were another two guys lining the walls. One was looking on with complete indifference, whilst the other seemed eager to see a little more bloodshed. Neither looked all that strong or all that bright. How'd Tseng get himself caught by these guys, honestly?

Too caught up in my musings, I didn't notice the metal bar swinging towards Tseng, and so, didn't have time to turn away before it hit him. It hit him hard across the chest and threw a small amount of blood from his lips. I let out a small hiss, as he swung slightly on the chains holding him to the ceiling. At this, I saw his eyes widen fractionally, and I could have sworn that even with everything going on, he'd heard me. I woke up to myself a little then, and realised that to be Turk Commander meant mako enhancements equivalent to those of a first class SOLDIER. He'd have heard me alright. I kept my voice real quiet then, letting out little more than a breathy whisper.

"One day you gotta learn to do these kinda things on your own, old man," I remarked, and watched as his brow arched slightly, a smirk creeping along his lips.

"What's so funny?" One of the captors asked, "You liking this little beating of yours?"

"Naturally," Tseng replied politely, his voice slightly constricted, "Or I'd not still be here, would I?"

At this, the guy attacking him put a swift punch into the commander's stomach.

"I _hate_ smart asses, you piece of Shinra scum," he spat, a smirk forming on his own lips, "But I certainly love seeing you ass holes get what you deserve."

The guy picked up the metal bar again, and I decided it was a little too much to be waiting around any longer. I pulled one of the triggers from my pocket and set off the first explosive, as it sent a roar through the building.

"Fuck!" The head honcho hissed, "They're outside already!"

He dropped the bar and pulled a pistol from his pocket. He then tossed it to the previously disinterested guy and gestured frantically at the door.

"What are you waiting for?! Get the fuck out there!" He hissed, as I triggered the next explosive. Once the gunfire started outside, with the group blindly shooting at non-existent targets, I set off a bunch of the fire crackers. They weren't top notch in terms of comparisons to gun shots, but they were seemingly good enough, prompting a shout of "Over there!"

"Hope you don't mind hanging around for a minute, Commander," Head honcho guffawed, as Tseng raised an eyebrow. Head honcho then disappeared out the door, slamming it behind him. I waited a few moments then, setting off the next explosive. After a few moments more, I heard a frustrated sigh from below.

"Enough of the show boating, Red…" Tseng warned, as I kicked out the shaft hatch and fell into the room. He turned his head to face me, and offered a small smile, even as blood trailed down his swollen face.

"You look like shit…" I murmured, and his smile grew slightly larger.

"I'll let that slide if you let me down…" He replied, and I reached up to tug at the chains holding him there.

"Keys?" I asked, and he seemed genuinely annoyed.

"You're a Turk, and you sincerely believe you need a set of keys to get me out of here?" He asked, and I scowled.

"I'm trying to save your ass here!" I snapped, "The least you could do is stop being a pain in mine for two minutes."

With that I set off another explosive, as the building shook violently. Then, a few more firecrackers.

"They're not going to buy that for long…" He chided, and I took out my pistol, shooting at the chains until they snapped and broke free. I was going to kill him…

He fell to the ground and rotated his arms to get the feeling back into them, before showing me that he was still joined at the wrists. I raised my pistol and he gave me a death glare. I smirked then, shrugging my shoulders.

"Was worth a try," I said, before pulling the nearest chair over and gesturing to the vent.

"And the handcuffs?" He asked as I helped him back into the vents.

"They can stay on," I winked, as he scowled over his shoulder. He then moved to one side of the vent and let me pass, clearly allowing me to lead the way.

"You need to take this a little more seriously I think," He lectured, moving through the vents, leaving a trail of blood behind him. I gotta admit, it wasn't pleasant seeing him like this, but it was one of those necessities of a rescue.

"It's all good," I reassured, "I don't intend on the classic shoot out ending to this. I'm pretty much just gonna get you out of here and blow the place up."

"Where does this vent lead, Reno?"

"Near the front of the building."

"Where the exit is, as well as where the entire compound group is now situated?" He said dangerously lowly.

Fuck. I hate when I make myself look like a dumb ass.

I stopped mid-vent and let my brain try and throw some sort of an idea together. Don't ask me how my brain works, cause Gaia knows, I don't think it works at all sometimes. But hey, I'm a Turk, and Turks are quick thinking when it matters. There was a shitload that we could do, but it all got pretty dangerous in the long haul. That's what we were about though, right? Tseng would understand that. Right? Aw man, this was gonna get me one of three things: Praised, lectured, or killed.

"Hey bossman?" I began, and I could almost feel him having an aneurism behind me. He always knew when I was about to do something dumb, and he was sensing it right now.

"…Yes?"

I continued crawling through the tunnels and he followed after me, waiting patiently for my response. We were about ten metres from the end of the vent now, and I could see the smoke beginning to gather outside, as well as the sound of gunshots resonating and shouts. It was then that I stopped.

"Hope you're not gonna hate me for this," I shrugged slightly, before kicking out my foot behind me and knocking him square between the eyes. In the state he was already in, it didn't take much to knock him out cold. I then drew my pistol and equipped some fire materia before slipping from the vent and landing somewhat casually in the entry way.

A guy ran back inside the building then, and as his eyes settled on me, he froze. He turned to tell the others, but I grabbed him from behind and placed a hand over his mouth, before twisting and cringing slightly with the loud snap that followed. I hated doing that shit. I pulled the now lifeless form under the nearby stairs and dragged his out of view. I peered out the door, pistol at the ready, and realised then, that they were just about caught on to me.

"The place is rigged! There's no one outside!" One of the guys called, and I saw head honcho immediately spin to face the door. Fuck. I did what I really didn't want to, and cast a fire three at the entry way, coinciding it with another blast. By the time they figured out the blast hadn't actually caused this fire, it'd hopefully be too late. I quickly clambered back into the vent and grabbed Tseng, pulling him towards me and heading for the now burning stairs. He was a thin bastard, and it was lucky that he was, as it was surprisingly easy to throw him over my shoulder and navigate my way up the staircase. I kicked open the metal door at the top and realised that yes, there was in fact a doorway further along a metal walkway. Only problem was that that door had been just about surrounded by fire too. Guess the explosion thing wasn't always a good idea. Then, for the second time tonight, I resorted to doing something I really didn't want to do. I pulled out my cell phone and let it ring a few times.

"Reno?"

"Yo. Long story short, we're gonna need a clean up crew and a ride outta here."

"…"

"Don't gimme that shit."

"_Discretion_, Reno. Which part of that was hard for you to _understand_?" Rude let out a frustrated sigh and I smiled in spite of myself. Poor bastard put up with me real well. I'd have kicked my ass by now.

"I'm countin' on ya, partner," I finished the call, flipping my phone shut and moving for the door.

I passed a window and damn near shat myself when one of the panes shattered, a bullet tearing through it. Fuck me, they were onto me. I hit the deck, Tseng falling onto my back in the process. This would probably have been a fuckload easier if he'd been conscious. My bad… But if I hadn't knocked the bastard out, he'd have been like 'No Reno, don't be so reckless'. I really didn't need a mother of a lecture right now.

"Come on Tseng," I muttered, grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him across the walkway. It was getting hotter near the heat, and a thought suddenly struck me. I reached into my bag and pulled out an ice materia, casting it on the door. The fires died just about instantly, and without the roaring of the flames, I could hear the bullets hitting the door. I left Tseng a little bit behind again, and reached up a hand to pull on the handle.

"Fuck!" I hissed, as I realised that even the ice hadn't taken the heat off of the door. My hand was already blistering like a bitch, but I caught sight of Tseng lying sprawled across the decking, and a part of me insisted the ass hole was worth it. I hated that part. I opened the door a crack and spotted a guy a little down the alleyway, looking straight at me. Not today, ass hole. I aimed the pistol and fired, hitting him square between the eyes before he even had a chance to shit his pants. There were a few more shots, and the door closed again from the force. Get real, seriously? There were heaps of them down there, you could hear them shouting and cursing Shinra as the bullets flew. There were two options here: Wait for Rude and the gang and risk getting killed, or take a bigger risk of getting killed and die on _my_ terms. Every Turk's ideal death involved going down in a blaze of glory, on your own terms, and as a fighter. It was all good and well for me to want to do that for myself, but there was Tseng to think about too. I cracked the door open again, and chanced a look at the building next door. It was low enough and close enough to jump to, but with Tseng on my back? Fat chance.

They say that people with nothing to lose do crazy shit. I say you didn't need to have nothing to lose, people who were desperate and confident enough did crazy shit regardless. Confidence, eh? It'd be a downfall of mine in one way or another. I chanced a look over at Tseng and let out a sigh.

"Well Commander, if we survive this, you may very well kill me," I smirked to no one in particular, "But what the hey?"

I picked him up and put him over my shoulder again. I let off another explosion, the building's structure now starting to decay and fall apart to the point of no return. There was one charge left now, and I knew exactly where it was. I kicked open the door and spotted a few shooters at the bottom. I fired a few bullets and hissed as one hit me square in the leg. Fuck them, it'd make shit slightly more difficult. I didn't think too much on it though, pressing the last switch and detonating the last explosive. It was about 10 metres below us and about five metres to my left, so as the building wall was hit by the waves of energy, it started to fall. Beautiful. The explosion had scattered or killed the remaining group members, so all that was left now was to jump. As the wall fell closer to the building next to it, I felt Tseng stir a little. I kept my head though, took in a deep breath and prepared a shit eating smirk. If I was about to die, I was gonna go out with arrogance. Just as I was about to jump, I felt Tseng's arms tighten around me and heard a hissed "What the _fuck_?!" in my ear. The last thing I remembered was rolling across the other building top, hurtling Tseng off my back and having half a building fall on top of me. Just my luck.

--

"…Reno?"

Urgghh… Can't handle this shit right now…

"Reno!"

Five more minutes?

"Don't give me that, open your Gaia damned eyes!" A female voice snapped, and I did as she demanded. Turns out it was Elena, and she was just about livid.

"Hey Len!" I croaked, offering a lazy smirk, as Rude offered a subtle shake of his head in warning. Too late though.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?!" She spat, tugging on her own hair as she tried to regain some composure, "You head into a situation like that on your own, blow up an entire building, and manage to get half crushed by it in the process?!"

"…Pretty shit hot, huh?" I grinned, and was met promptly with a slap to the face. Rude then grabbed her from behind and pulled her from me, arms flailing and all. Shit like that makes me wonder why I bother waking up half the time.

"You _bastard_! I was worried sick about you, and you act like it was a piece of cake!" She cried, "You almost _died_, you know that?!"

I turned to Rude, hysterical women not being a strongpoint of mine, and gave him a tip of an imaginary hat.

"Good save, cue ball," I grinned, and he gave a small smile, "Bossman okay?"

Rude smirked slightly then, gesturing to the doorway. Well fuck me, how long had he been there for?

"Reno," He nodded politely, "I see you're doing well."

"Commander. Seems you're a hard guy to kill," I remarked, and he smirked slightly.

"But not too hard to kick unconscious?" He asked dryly, and I could have sworn Elena's eyes were about to fall out of their sockets.

"_What_?!" She asked, eyes flicking between us.

"You think if I didn't that you'd have let me do what I did?" I asked smugly, and he shook his head.

"No chance in hell…"

"Didn't think so," I shrugged, "You alright?"

He paused for a moment then, just holding my gaze. It almost went for just a fraction too long before he spoke.

"I'm rather well, yes. A few broken bones are still healing, but that won't be an issue," He said, before dropping his voice to a much softer tone, "Thank you, Reno. Your loyalty surprised me."

"Yeah, well, some things are worth working for," I shrugged casually, and he definitely knew what I was getting at, as he smiled slightly and broke the eye contact we had.

"Rude, Elena, we've got jobs to do," he nodded, "We'll come back later, Reno."

"Sure thing bossman," I nodded, as Elena and Rude stepped passed him. He then turned a fiery gaze to me and smirked slightly.

"Don't think I've forgotten what you've done. I'll deal with you later," with that his eyes flashed with a spark of interest and something else a heck of a lot softer, "Take care until then."

I nodded, and he turned, leaving me confused and pissed off as usual. Some things never changed.

--

**A/N:** Thank you Kallin~chan for reminding me about this. Lol. It got a little lost and sat there half finished for a few months. :P

Loves for yew, muffin.

As for the rest of you, read and review please, and hope to see you next chapter :D


	4. Chapter 4

Just HAD to quote Lysiaamazon on this one:

"_I have never wanted to see those two go at it good and hard as much as I do now."_

And also HAD to quote Black-Sky-Loves-Me cause it made me lol:

"_Bahahahahahahaha Reno is such a little wanker..."_

Well Lysia, me either. And yes BSLM, yes he is.

**Warnings: See previous chapters. Oh, and smut. Finally, they go at it like bunnies. YAY! I mean… don't read if you don't like… -cough-**

--

What was that saying? Going "stir crazy"? Is that right? Where you're sitting around doing absolutely fuck all and either hoping that something will help you get out, or death will come quickly? Whatever it was, I was just about ready to chew my own arm off from the boredom.

"Reno?" A quiet voice called from the door, and I offered the most charming smile I had to offer to the approaching nurse. She smiled widely and blushed, approaching my bed with a tray of food.

"Are you hungry?" She asked sweetly, and I gave a wink.

"Depends what you're offering?" I teased, and she offered a shy giggle.

"Well, um," She paused, lifting the lid of the tray, "Roast chicken with vegetables and gravy, and by the looks of it, some jelly for dessert."

"Sounds great," I replied, and she blushed even further. Gaia, it kinda makes me wish I was a straight guy. I would get laid so often I'd have issues _walking_, ya know? Thing was, there's only one reason I'd wanna wake up unable to walk, and the bastard was taking his sweet ass time getting here.

"By the way, the Commander came in earlier, but you were sleeping," The nurse smiled softly, and stepped back when I damn near catapulted to sit up.

"You're frickin kidding me!" I cried, and she seemed a little taken aback. Fuck him.

"Sorry doll," I murmured, laying back down and prodding at my chicken, "What did he say, yo?"

She did nothing but hand over a note, and I flipped it open to read it.

"_Tied down with paper work. Shinra has a stick up his ass that needs rotating, apparently. So once you're discharged, head to your favourite little club down in sector four's upper plate. We're having somewhat of a celebratory drink in your honor after work. See you then. Tseng."_

Okay, so it wasn't exactly romantic, but it was from him, so I slipped it into my pocket anyway, and the nurse gave a little secretive smile.

"You right there, doll?" I asked, and she laughed quietly.

"I'm sorry, but you two are adorable," She remarked, her cheeks flaring, "You keeping little notes in your pocket from him, and him staying here for a little while to watch you sleep."

Hold the phone.

"He stayed here?" I asked curiously, and she gave a quiet nod, before checking all of my tubes and going over my chart.

"He asked if it was alright, and then he sat by your bed and just… watched you," She smiled, letting out a soft sigh, "It must be so nice to have someone like that."

"Did he say anything while he was here?" I asked, perhaps a little too eagerly, and her smile grew knowingly.

"He said you were quieter in your sleep," She smiled, blushing, "And I don't know if I should say the rest."

"Awwww, come on doll," I practically purred, and batted my eyelashes a few times. She laughed, but seemed flattered regardless. She hesitated for a few moments, but seemed to mentally brush it away before avoiding my gaze.

"Well, he said 'He almost seems at peace, rather than the arrogant little shit he is otherwise'", she replied hurriedly, and I scowled in spite of myself. Son of a bitch. I murmured thanks to the nurse as she disappeared, and flicked on the TV.

Wasn't much on at this time of the day. It was mainly corny soap operas and reruns of 'SOLDIERs'. It was that episode where Zack had chased a guy for twenty minutes to get back some lady's purse, and had ended up landing flat on top of the guy.

"_You do what you have to, to get the job done_," Spikey grinned down the camera.

"_And the injuries that the gentleman sustained?_" the reporter asked, and the SOLDIER cringed slightly.

"_Yeah… uh… Well, you know, a few broken ribs and a punctured lung heal real quickly with this day and age's medical resources, you know?"_

I smirked a little as I spied Angeal in the background, pretty much face-palming himself as he listened to his pupil talk. I changed the channel and had my attention caught by the news, where there was footage of a huge fireball burning out of control in the slums.

"… _unable to find a member of the Turks to comment, as is the norm. Here's what SOLDIER General Sephiroth had to say on the matter," _The newsreader nodded seriously, before it cut to images of the stoic General gazing intently at the reporter interviewing them.

"_The Turks were unwilling to leave a comment, General. Could you possibly provide an explanation as to the event?" _ The reporter asked shakily, clearly intimidated by the General's intense gaze.

"_There was an incident regarding the Turk Commander's kidnapping. A Turk operative was first on the scene, and managed to successfully neutralize the situation," _Sephiroth said smoothly, without so much as blinking until he'd finished what he'd said.

"_Could you tell us what the reasons were behind the kidnapping, sir?"_

"_That's yet to be determined. I think the message we are willing to convey here is that it is unwise to cross paths with those which we do not understand, should you value your life," _Sephiroth said quietly, before offering a polite nod of his head and turning for the building behind him.

I gotta give it to him, he definitely had a presence.

"_Uh… back to you, Michelle…" _The reporter nodded, as the newsreader was cut to. She fanned herself briefly, before forcing a smile and introducing the ad break. Well, it wasn't the first time I'd made it to the news, but it was probably the flashiest. I could imagine them sitting at the office and going in to damage control over my fuck up though. Rude would be having an aneurism by now, muttering something along the lines of 'discretion', and Elena would be pretty much answering the phone non-stop with a 'no comment'. I'd deal with my ass kicking whenever it was called for, but for now, I reveled in the fact that those bastards were working while I kicked back. It was then that nurse what's-her-name sidled back in, all cheery disposition and sheets of paper.

"Good news, Reno," She smiled warmly, "You're free to go once you sign these papers."

"Shame for you doll," I shrugged, reaching out to take the papers from her outstretched hand, "Looks like things are about to get quieter around here, huh?"

She laughed lightly, before beginning to unhook all the machines from me.

"Seems like it. I understand that you'll be heading out tonight, so I presume there'll be alcohol?" She asked, and I winked.

"You know me too well."

"Well, just be careful," She warned, "Don't have anything with mako in it. I know you have a fondness for those Spritzers of yours, but if you have any, you're likely to lapse into a coma."

"But normal alcohol's all good?" I asked, and she gave a small sigh.

"I didn't say it's the best thing for you, but it is permitted given your mako levels," She replied with a small nod, as I finished signing the papers, "Just moderate, okay?"

I gave a small nod and swung my legs out of bed, pulling myself to stand up. I really hated these gowns. You know the ones that tie up at the back and leave your bare ass at mercy of the air temperature? Yeah, they were not exactly my favourite invention in the world.

"Here's your uniform. Cissnei brought it by earlier," the nurse smiled, handing me a pile of clothes. I nodded and headed into the bathroom, re-emerging a few minutes later in complete Turk uniform. Minus the tie, and with a few constraining buttons left loosely undone. The nurse gave me an appreciative once over, and gave a nod of approval. I gave her a wink and grabbed the bag that had all my shit in it, before offering a wave and heading out the door.

--

I was in my apartment about twenty minutes later, and pretty much dumped my shit on my bed before having a quick shower. I threw on some of my favourite cologne and took a few extra moments to style my hair so that it feathered a little more at the front, knowing full well that it often caught Shit-head's attention when it did. It was then that it hit me: I was getting dolled up for the bastard. I didn't get dolled up for anyone, ya know? I just ran of Gaia given charm and won my way into any pair of pants I felt like at the time. But no, this fucker had me wrapped around his finger. I gave myself a half assed glare in the mirror, before ruffling the styling product through my hair and realising that it didn't matter what the fuck I looked like. This party was for me, yo, and I'd show up however the hell I wanted to. Funny thing was, before I left for the club, I changed another four times and threw another three looks in the mirror. You know, just to make sure I didn't look too trashy. Nothing to do with Shithead at all…

Yeah.

--

It was about seven by the time I got to the club, and people were already filing in, taking advantage of the cheap entry and drinks for the early birds. There were regulars here, the same half-pissed crowd that showed up just about every time I was here, and who often left just about unconscious in the arms of some random they'd met here that were as yet unaware of their reputation. Suckers. Yeah, this was my kind of scene.

"Hey baby," An attractive blonde girl purred, pretty much sitting on my lap, "Can I buy you a drink, handsome?"

I gave her a teasing smirk, as she laced her hands around the back of my neck and gazed at me with barely focused eyes. Oh man, she was out of it already. I leant in to whisper in her ear, and she pretty much pressed against me.

"Unless you got a dick under that pretty little skirt of yours, honey," I whispered, "I don't think you got much to offer me."

She pulled back from me abruptly, and gave a giddy drunken laugh into her hand.

"Oh!" she snorted, a blush rising to her cheeks, "Fuck me, the hot ones are always gay. I'm sorry, baby."

I gave her a wink as she slid off my lap and headed for the opposite side of the bar.

"Some girls, honestly," An all too familiar voice huffed, as she took up a chair beside me, "You think they'd have a little dignity, but _no_, they head straight for guys like _you_, half sloshed already."

Cissnei paused then, and offered a hurried 'no offence' at the end of her sentence.

"None taken," I shrugged, downing another shot, "Where are the others, yo?"

"Tseng and Rude are still caught back at the office. Elena's here somewhere, but Gaia knows where. Last I saw, she was threatening to beat the shit out of some Costa del Sol guy for touching her ass," Cissnei shrugged casually, before ordering a drink, "And Mark and Damien are somewhere out on the dance floor, which I'm sure comes as no surprise. The others are either out on assignment, or too tied down with personal shit to come get drunk."

She snorted at this, before taking her drink and downing it in one shot, just as a guy approached her and asked if she could buy her a drink. She simply showed the ID card and gave a warning glare, before the guy swiftly backed away.

"Not here to pick up?" I asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not nearly _half_ as drunk as I need to be," She replied, ordering another shot, before Elena took the seat on my other side.

"Can you believe that guy?" she cried, gesturing at the door. Some guy was being lead out of the door by security, his nose bleeding profusely.

"Broken nose?" Cissnei asked casually, and Elena offered an annoyed nod, before ordering champagne.

"Yeah and then security was about to kick _me_ out, until Rude flashed his ID and told the guards to keep to themselves if you know what I mean," She smiled fondly, and I felt a little thrill go through me. Chances were, if the big guy was here, so was Tseng.

I looked towards the door, and there he was, in all of his casual glory. He'd ditched his suit jacket and tie, but kept his tight long sleeved business shirt and black slacks, accompanied by shoes shined to have the ability to reflect. Fuck me; I nearly fell off the barstool as I continued openly staring like some slack jawed carp.

"You two crack me up," Cissnei smirked over her glass, watching me staring at the doorway.

"How so?" I asked casually, and Elena snorted into her glass.

"Gaia, if you guys were anywhere _near_ subtle with that little heated attraction thing you two share, _then_ I'd understand why you just asked that," the blonde cried, "But it's so flamingly obvious, that I sometimes wonder why you two just won't go at it with each other and get it out of your systems."

Cissnei snorted her drink back into her glass, and I damn near choked on my own. Okay, well fuck, didn't realise it was _that_ noticeable.

"He's an asshole," I shrugged evasively.

"Hello! So are _you_," Elena sighed, "You're like two little match-ups made in heaven and good Gaia Cissnei, he is _so_ your type…"

The blonde then gestured over Cissnei's shoulder at a lean but well built guy with dark black hair spiked up at all different angles.

"Kinda looks like Fair to me," I chimed in, and Cissnei blushed furiously.

"Like I said, totally her type," Elena shrugged, downing another shot.

Before I could make a smart ass comment, Cissnei had disappeared, and Tseng himself had casually slipped into her vacant seat. Gaia, he smelt good. Gaia, he looked good. Gaia, I was frickin hooked.

"Reno," He nodded politely, ordering himself some of that Wutaian shit that he drank sometimes after missions. What was it called? Haki or some shit?

"Yo boss man," I tilted my head back slightly, "How goes it?"

"Same as always. Shinra's breathing down the back of my neck, some cocky little redhead got us on the news again, and I've spent half my day avoiding the press," He replied smoothly, and I finished the last of my drink. Wasn't anywhere near drunk, but there was a nice little buzz going through me right now that gave me a little more guts than my daring self would usually have.

"You're not all that bothered, Boss man," I smirked, "As long as you still get to come here and thank me for saving your ass."

"And knocking me unconscious."

"_Whilst_ saving your ass."

Tseng let out a soft sigh then, and Elena was fighting back a giggle. When the boss man turned his attentions to the blonde, she smiled timidly and gave a small shrug, now sipping a new drink through a straw.

"How are you sir?" she asked sweetly, and he offered her a small smile.

"Don't drink too much please, Elena," He said softly, "I'd hate for something to happen to you whilst we're out."

"Hey, I've got you guys here!" She beamed, standing on slightly wobbly legs, "I'm all set for the rest of the night."

Tseng followed her with his gaze as she headed for a table where Rude was seated, and casually leant on his shoulder.

"…How much has she had to drink?" He asked, slightly amused eyes focusing on mine once again.

"Not much, but she can't hold her liquor for shit," I smirked, as he took a long swig from his drink, before gently putting his glass down. He said nothing, just allowing his gaze to focus on mine, and I swear I damn near fell off the stool again. Bastard _knew_ what he did to me.

"Frickin tease," I murmured, calling for a new drink, as he gave a small laugh into his own.

"Admittedly, you're quite patient for a prince," He said smoothly, and I barely had time to register it, before some handsome brunette had taken the seat on his other side and drew Tseng's attentions away from me. I could overhear them talking, some nice casual chit chat, and a few flirtatious remarks from the brunette. Shithead didn't encourage them, but didn't exactly tell him to fuck off either. I hated being toyed with. _Hated_ it. But, I figured, with a guy like me, I could play the same kind of game. I sat there for a few minutes longer, finishing the rest of my drink, before standing up and heading for the dance floor. Oh yeah baby, this was my element. I made sure to stay in his line of sight, as a new song started, the pounding beat reverberating off the walls and straight through my rib cage.

As was per usual, it only took a few moments for me to pick up the beat, and I was _alive_ with it, ya know? I let my body moved how the beat dictated, hips swaying where appropriate and body pounding with each bass drop that hit it. I could feel his eyes burning against me, as well as half the people on the dance floor. One thing I'd always been curious about was whether he was any good on the dance floor as he was in battle. You watched the guy and you had a tendency to pick up just how liquid his form was, sliding through a battle like he was floating on a fucking cloud. I'd never seen him dance before, but it wouldn't be too long before I did, if things worked out how I thought they would. I could see his eyes on me from across the floor, the stranger beside him now seemingly talking to a deaf ear, as Tseng smirked over his now empty glass at me. I saw a figure moving through the crowd of people around me, and a small smirk licked at my face as I realised who it was.

"Hey there Red," He smirked, watching me dance with unguarded appreciation, "Trying to catch someone's attention?"

"Sure am," I smirked in reply, a brief flick of my eyes towards Tseng giving the SOLDIER all he needed to piece shit together. Damien was a smart cookie, and for that reason, he was kind of a go-between with us and SOLDIER. Tseng got along with him okay too, so he stuck around for all the social events, which didn't bother me. I liked the cheeky bastard.

"Ah, so the Commander hey?" He quirked a brow and I nodded. Damien gave a knowing smirk, and moved closer, placing his hands on my hips as he swayed with me, the pair of us now drawing even further attention from those around us.

The thing is, is that Damien was an alright dancer, as well as being a nice piece of eye candy. He had his lovey dovey eyes solely set on General priss-pot himself, so we both knew full well that this was for show. If Damo wanted to make it a show, we'd make it a show to remember. He stood behind me now, his hands ghosting along my waist as he whispered in my ear.

"You look good tonight, Red," He murmured, "If you don't reel that tight ass in, I may very well whisk you away myself."

I almost smacked him out of habit, but the flirty bastard was doing a good job of getting Tseng's attention over here, so I let him shit talk.

"You wish you had this ass," I smirked, grinding back a little against him, as he snorted in my ear.

"Don't look now hot stuff, but your buddy's making his way over here," Damien smirked against my ear, "Looks like you're getting luck, Red. Do me a favour and give me details tomorrow, you know I _love_ a scandal."

"You need to get laid," I murmured and he laughed in my ear, before slowly slipping away, "Oi, where you going?"

"I don't have a death wish!" He called over the music, probably off to go find another random to entice. That guy was one of the biggest man-whores I know, and I mean that only with love of course.

I looked around the crowd, and found myself a little freaked out. Shithead had disappeared. I thought that maybe I'd pissed him off enough for him to leave, but I was gratefully proven wrong, as a different pair of hands ghosted over my waist, before coming to rest on my hips.

"Interesting," A familiar voice breathed against my ear, as I smirked widely.

"What is?" I asked, as he smirked against my earlobe, his body moving against mine, but barely touching. He was even a fucking tease when he danced.

"You move like you fight," He noted, guiding my hips to move backwards slightly, pressing against him just briefly enough to feel- Gaia, I nearly got whiplash from the speed I snapped around to place my hands on his shoulders, his dark eyes watching me with a burning intent. He took hold of my hips again as I swayed against him, and his eyes flashed with a dark amusement, focusing them on my moving body as he shadowed my movements, pulling me a little closer to him. Gaia, he was so close to me I could feel his breath against my cheek, and his firm grip on my hips as I moved against him. He moved his lips closer to my ears, and I felt him smirk against my lobe.

"It really is the alcohol, isn't it?" He asked, and I raised a brow in confusion. What the fuck was that meant to mean?

"Makes you act like a dog in heat," He explained, and I let out a small snort, before leaning closer to his own ear, my body still acting of it's own insanely turned on accord.

"Oh no baby, it's all you," I purred, and I heard him let out a hiss of breath as my teeth gently scraped along his ear. His hands gripped a little tighter on my hips, and fuck me I was _good._ I had Turk fucking _Commander_ losing composure.

It was then that the song stopped, and the DJ made an announcement that happy hour was coming up, so get your drink vouchers up at the bar while you still had the chance, blah, blah, blah. He pulled back from me at this and gave a teasing smirk.

"Song's over, rookie," he murmured, before slipping back into the crowd. I looked around for a few moments, but he moved like a frickin ghost.

"Son of a _bitch_," I spat out loud, before I saw Damien in the middle of the crowd. He was looking my way and offered a wink, before pointing at the door. I whipped around just in time to see a curtain of dark ebony hair slipping out the entrance. Sneaky bastard. As I moved towards the door, Elena gave me a firm smack on the ass and a high pitched giggle from her new position on Rude's lap.

"Oh Red, you're in for it!" She snorted, before turning to nuzzle into my partner's neck. Baldy looked like he didn't have a frickin clue what to do with himself, and I offered him a smirk before heading out the door. Could have sworn he was blushing.

--

He moved frickin quickly. I was outside no more than two minutes after he was, after having a particularly difficult time making it past a bar scuffle. Fortunately, the guards didn't ask too many questions when both of the instigators fell to the ground after methods of electrocution. Clumsy bastards. Anyway, no more than two frickin minutes after him, and he was completely gone. No frickin idea where he'd fucked off to, but it didn't stop me looking. I had enough energy in me to start a kind of jog, and I headed the only place I'd imagined he might disappear to. His apartment was about ten minutes from here, and it ain't like he'd have fallen asleep already. Son of a bitch had me hot under the collar already, and if he dared try and refuse me him tonight, I may very well kill him. No kidding, I may just shoot him then and there. I ran up to his doorstep, and had the chance to knock a total of two times before the door was flung open and I was pulled in by the front of my shirt. Before I could really comprehend what the stuff had happened, he had me pressed against the door, his hand threading into my hair and pulling my lips to his in a heated, if not slightly clumsy kiss.

Dear alcohol, thank you for giving him the inhibitions to let go, love Reno.

He pulled back slightly, mako lighting his eyes just enough to catch my attention, as his lips brushed my cheek. His hand reached between us and cupped at my package, as I let a long groan out. He smirked in the semi-darkness, as he returned his lips to my ear.

"You fucking shit me," He murmured, and before I had the breath to ask how, he was biting down lightly, teasing again with his tongue, as well as his hand. Ah Gaia…

"You come in to the Turks as an arrogant little fuck, cause as much shit as you can, drive me up the walls," he paused to plant a light kiss against my neck, "Then you go and do something like save my life."

"What can I say?" I managed to smirk between labored breaths.

"You don't say shit till I'm finished," He said huskily, his hand gripping a little tighter as I clutched at his own hand and rubbed it harder. Ah fuck, that same dizzying feeling. I thought I was going to pass out, honest to Gaia…

"Then," He breathed, the air hot and moist against my ear, sending tendrils of pleasure coursing through me, "You get on that floor tonight, and you _move_…"

His voice was breathy, as his hand continued to move against me, a soft moan slipping through my lips. Fuck him, he had me moaning for him like the little street whore he once claimed me to be. I scowled slightly over the control he had over me, before his lips met mine again in a wet, pleasure filled engagement. His tongue darted out, teasing, toying, leading and retreating, before he nipped lightly at my lower lip, pulling it back with his lips as he met my half-lidded gaze once again. He smirked and I groaned again at the sight, his hair tousled slightly as he pressed himself against my thigh. He was just as hard as I was, but this time, it looked like he was gonna be using it.

"…I lost a little control out there," He admitted coyly, "And I don't like that feeling, rookie."

His voice was low, and dripping with a poisoned seduction. He was dangerous, and I loved it. He removed his hand from its massaging duties and pressed against both of my hips with his fingers, before capturing my lips again. He toyed, teasing, making sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, before he tugged at my hair, pulling my head back and placing kisses along my throat. I think I almost passed out from the heat, and the build up of fucking pleasure that he'd been teasing at me for weeks now. Even months. Maybe years. Gaia, I didn't even fucking know. All that mattered was that he was here and he was real and he was unbelievably hot.

Then he bit down.

Hard.

"Fuck!" I hissed through my teeth, and felt a smirk against my skin, before a tongue laved apologetically at the newest wound. I felt a flare of annoyance through me, as I grabbed him and turned him to slam his back against the door. Let's see how the bastard liked some of his own medicine. I smirked teasingly, as he offered a warning glare, before sliding a hand to grope him shamelessly through his pants. Gaia, the sound that spilled from his lips, as his fingers clutched at my arms, his head tilted back as chocolate brown gazed out wantonly from underneath thickly lashed eyes.

"Secretly, boss man," I smirked, as he fought to show annoyance through his pleasure, "I think you _do_ like losing a little control."

He offered a strained smirk.

"How do you figure that?"

"Because it brings you down to my level," I murmured, "And a part of you likes to live on that edge, away from your Shinra bought luxury, mingled with the street trash."

I paused, watching his eyes flutter shut, my fingers working their magic around his straining hard on.

"Tell me baby," I murmured, darkly amused when his eyes fluttered open and narrowed at the nickname, "How much do you like the danger?"

His eyes flashed, before he was attached to me again, his fingers delving into my hair and crashing his lips against mine, before pulling my hands from his crotch and pushing me backwards towards one of the open doors nearby. He kicked the door shut behind him as we went in, and the next thing I felt against me were satin sheets and a shit load of un-necessary pillows. Spoilt bastard. I almost made a comment, but he'd latched onto my neck, his fingers working on my shirt as he damn near tore the buttons off, removing it and tossing it aside, before doing the same for his shirt. He offered me a brief view of lean muscle and flawless skin, before his lips were against my chest. My skin heated as soon as his lips touched it, and I writhed a little under him as he straddled my groin. If he teased me too much, I was gonna burst before we even had the chance to-

"Uhh…" I trailed off, his lips trailing over a nipple, his teeth pinching then grazing slightly as he dragged his mouth over my skin. If that didn't do enough for me, his dark eyes were glittering up at me from my chest, as I looked down at him.

"Fuck Tseng," I panted slightly, much to his apparent delight, "Quit teasing…"

He cupped me through my straining pants, and I clenched my jaw, begging to Gaia that she let me hold my composure.

"You're not going to last long," He murmured, squeezing lightly as I just about swallowed my tonsils.

Thank you, Captain obvious.

His movements were quick then, unbuckling my belt and sliding it out in one smooth motion, before tugging on my pants, sliding them off me in a hurry. He faltered slightly, as he realised I went commando on more than the odd occasion, before he smirked deviously in my direction. He was beautiful, and the fucker knew it. He _knew_ what those eyes and those fingers were doing and- Gaia be damned, that mouth…

"F-fuck…" I choked, my head falling back so hard against his headboard I figure if I wasn't drunk I'd be knocked out. My hands delved into those silky strands of ebony, guiding him as his lips bobbed down over my cock. He pulled back up tightly, the suction causing a small 'pop' as he took me out of his mouth briefly. It felt amazing, his lips sliding over me, as his teeth lightly teased the underside of my aching length. I arched off the bed slightly and dug my free hand into the sheets, as his tongue pressed lightly against my slit. Fuck me, where had he learnt this shit? He started off slowly, teasing just the tip, holding down my hips and stubbornly refusing my attempts to force him to draw me in further. No, he did that in his own time, slowly sliding a little more in with every few bobs. His lips would slide down nice and loose, his tongue teasing as it coated me with warm saliva, before he'd pull back up, tightening his hold with his lips and satisfying the rest with his hands. Then, he bobbed and took me all the way in, and-

"Aw fuck, Tseng!"

Shit. I hadn't meant to give him that pleasure just yet, hearing his name, but he rewarded me with a satisfied hum, sucking tighter until I felt an all too familiar heat pooling throughout my entire body. I grabbed his hair tighter in warning, but the fucker didn't stop until I was shaking like a nervous wreck and coming _hard_. My head spun, and that heat spiraled out of control, as I let out a low steady groan. I couldn't breathe, and still, his lips kept working.

I couldn't explain exactly what he was doing, but his tongue swirling and twisting around me was slowly bringing me back up again, and the residual pleasure I still had from that mind fuck of an orgasm he'd given me had me shaking like a leaf as he pressed me harder against the bed. He pulled back, sitting up and beginning to undo his own belt, as I watched him with hunger in my eyes. He smirked teasingly, his free hand trailing along my stomach as he removed his belt and slowly began to undo his pants. He barely had them down, before I was on him, my lips offering the same treatment he'd given me. He let out a hiss, before offering a few expletives in his native tongue. Fuck me that was sexy, hearing him speak in another language, as his heated gaze looked down on me, his face wild and open as he clenched his eyes shut and bit down on his lip, his hand tugging at my hair as he slid his cock in and out of my mouth.

"You little fucker," He hissed, between shaky breaths and moans, "You have no idea… How long I've wanted this."

If I could talk I would have called him a fucking hypocrite, as well as every other name I could think of under the sun, but as fate would have it, I was a little preoccupied. He pulled away then, and pushed me so that I was on my back, before moving to slip his tongue between my lips, followed shortly after by his fingers. I sucked hard on them, and he watched so intently that I thought he might have passed out with his eyes open. But no, he was well aware of what I was doing. When his eyes clamped shut as I bit down lightly, I knew then that he'd lost a part of himself to me. As far as I was concerned, he was never getting it back.

He withdrew his fingers and slowly began easing them into me. Fuck, it hurt, but I knew that if I held out and just pretty much kept my cool, he was likely to – holy sweet mother of _Gaia_…I hadn't expected him to find it so soon, but there he was, finger brushing along my prostate, as I twitched and groaned uncontrollably under his touch. He leant down to trail bites and kisses along my neck and up to my ear, before he murmured huskily into it.

"I'm going to make you feel better than anyone else ever has, Red," He growled lightly, "So you're not going to want it from anyone but me."

"I _don't_ want it from anyone but you, you ignorant fuck," I hissed between groans, and that seemed to be his undoing, as he pulled his fingers out and damn near slammed himself into me. I let out a breathless cry, and he stayed hovered over me, his eyes clenched tightly shut. He was biting down hard enough on his lip to make the surrounding skin turn white, as his head fell back. His mouth parted slightly then, and he let out a breathless groan, a sound I knew would haunt my every waking moment from that moment on. There had never been a beauty to rival it, and there never would be. Slowly, he pulled out, and pressed back in, as I gradually adjusted to his pressure. He seemed to have difficulty keeping composure, as he slowly rolled his hips, holding my legs apart as he slowly filled me and eased out. He did this for a few more moments, until my mouth started emitting soft huffs of uncontrolled pleasure. At this, his head tilted forward, and he opened those eyes. I expected to see fire, but I saw tenderness instead.

He murmured something in his language, and his fingers trailed along my cheek bones, as he continued to gently thrust inside of me. Fucked if I knew what he said, but I knew that it had meant something different to the norm, because he'd then leant down and gently toyed my lips, this kiss softer and more caring than any other he'd offered me, broken only by the soft puffs of air from his nose, coinciding with each steady thrust. Gradually, he got a little faster, and my hands had slid to grip my own cock, pumping in time with his thrusts, as he began to mercilessly pound against my prostate. I let out a shaky little gasp with each press, and he was letting out soft moans with every gasp I gave him. He was getting louder, and he was getting a little rougher, and when I felt the tension coiling up in me again, I held my breath, my head spinning as I blew over. I could hear his appreciation of my rhythmic clenching around him, and a feeling inside me almost burst open when he came, my name spilling from his lips. Not 'rookie', not 'Red', not 'you little fucker', but 'Reno'. His eyes had snapped open before he kissed me then, locking on to me with a certain sense of appreciation I was reveling in. He leant down and lazily kissed me, pumping just a few more times and sending residual tendrils of pleasure through the both of us, before he rest atop me, his cheek against mine, and his steadying breath against my ear as he slid out from me. His beauty, the whole fucking experience, the feeling of knowing that this unique piece of Gaia given heaven had just surrendered himself to me… A voice in me couldn't help but just say it. Gaia be damned, I think I love him.

"…What?" He murmured, raising his head to meet my eyes.

…You've gotta be fucking kidding me. I did _not_ just say that out loud.

"I think I love you, yo."

What the fuck was I doing? Hello, conference calls are necessary between brain and mouth please. But, he didn't pull away. He didn't offer some smart ass remark. He didn't pull out his pistol and spread my brains across his sheets. No, he simply repeated his Wutaian phrase from before, and held my gaze with a lazy contentment.

"... Tseng, baby, I can't speak your language, yo," I said softly, and he smirked.

"I said something along the lines of 'You annoying little shit, I think I love you'," He explained, before I let out an uncontrollable snort. Well fuck me. He lay his head back down and rolled over, facing the ceiling.

"It's not how it was meant to go though," He murmured, a smirk along his lips, "You were meant to be a little game of mine."

"I probably still am," I replied, and he let out a snort.

"You were meant to be the one getting the lesson here," He continued, "But you suckered me in, and because of the way I fucked you around, I couldn't get myself out. By the time I realised, it was too late. Next thing I knew, Prince Charming was coming to my rescue and kicking me unconscious."

I'm never gonna live that shit down…

"Am I ever gonna live that shit down?" I scowled, and he shook his head.

"Not a chance."

There was a silence for awhile, where we both lay next to each other, not even touching any more, and something about that was fucking with my head. Sure, neither of us was good at expressing emotion, and this was probably just as new for him as it was for me, but it almost felt uncomfortable, and that shit just wasn't right, you know? I froze then, as dark eyes met mine, and an arm stretched up and over, to run fingers through my hair. Fuck me, he was a psychic. He gave a smirk then, and shook his head.

"You're far too easy to read," He murmured, as I shrugged. I couldn't really care less, as long as it was him doing the reading.

"Maybe you're just good at it," I shrugged again, reaching over the bed for my pants and fumbling for the spare cigarette packet in there. To be honest, I didn't smoke all that much, but after sex was well appropriate to settle my still rattled nerves. In fact, any time around Tseng was good enough, if just to rattle _his_. I lit up, and he scowled.

"You know it's horrible for your health, right?" He remarked, and I waved my hand dismissively. He lay a hand across his chest as he rolled onto his side, leaving his well defined chest in plain view. I watched him with an already growing hunger, his eyes dark with amusement, as a curtain of ebony hair hung across his should-

"Fuck!" I hissed, as the ash from my cigarette fell and left a burn mark on my chest. He gave a small smirk, before rolling back onto his back and resuming the petting of my hair.

"Health hazard," He murmured, and I could have fucking stabbed him with my cigarette.

He was quiet for awhile again, slowly toying with my hair, before his cell started ringing. He looked at the caller ID, smirking slightly before answering.

"Elena?" He murmured, and I held back a smirk as I heard her through the phone.

"Tseeeeng!" She laughed almost maniacally, before there was an audible scuffle for the phone.

"Apologies sir!" Another voice came on, and Tseng smirked.

"Cissnei?"

"Elena's had a little too much to drink, sir. She was hoping to find out…" She trailed off, as another scuffle seemed to occur, and Elena once again allowed her high pitched whiney assed voice down the line.

"Man lurve!" She slurred, "You and Reno, huh? Huh?"

Tseng flicked amused eyes to me before his smirk grew slightly.

"You're very drunk Elena. I think it may be best if you head home."

"Aww man, you _so_ got laid!" She laughed, before there was another struggle for the phone. Cissnei didn't seem to get it back however, as the next voice remained Elena's.

"I knew it! I _told_ you, remember? I _told_ you. Well, actually, you told me, eh?"

"I remember, Elena," Tseng said calmly, still smirking, "Head to bed."

"Yessir," she slurred, hanging up the phone before Tseng could say anything else.

"What did she tell you?" I asked when he turned to face me, "And what did you tell her?"

He quirked a brow, and his smirk grew.

"She simply stated that she believed we were compatible in terms of personalities," He replied, and I frowned a little.

"I thought she liked you, yo."

"She moved on when she realised your intentions. It appears she's a good friend of yours," he smirked.

"And what did you tell her, then?"

"That even if I was the one to lead you on, you'd still come after me," He smirked, "And you did."

I quirked a brow, before pressing my lips against his ones in attempts to wipe the smirk off of them, and he pulled me towards him with his hands.

I wish I could hate that bastard, but I don't. It's much the opposite. And I'll be damned if I didn't still hate it when the fucker was right.

--

**A/N:** Yay! Damien cameo! –snuggles Damien plushy-

Boo! Shit ending! –snuggles fail plushy-

Anyway, hope you liked Confidence as much as I liked writing it. Was the lemon worth the wait? No? My bad .-.


End file.
